Fine dining pooch style

Treat your four legged, furry friends to goodies whipped up by a chef who caters exclusively to pets and their whims

The most astonishing thing that Pet Chef owner Kamini Nanda might do if you happen to visit her for an interview or otherwise, is probably offer you a plateful of biscuits that are meant for doggies.
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I was offered flaxseed and apple biscuits.

After much trepidation I bit into one, only to find that it did taste just like a mildly sweetened but regular biscuit.
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They were crunchy, not greasy and smelt heavenly. This is because Nanda, who dishes up goodies for dogs, strongly believes that "what is edible to my dogs should be edible to me."

Her range of doggie treats like cakes, cup cakes with frosting, cookies, meat pies, breads, quiches and pizzas (she makes pizza flavoured biscuits) that go under the name "Pet Chef-Treats You Can Eat" can make any human's mouth water let alone dogs.
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Nanda, who used to be an instructional designer till early this year gave it all up to start this business catering to dog treats in March.

Her inspiration: her pets. "I grew up all over the country because my father was in the army and I had several pets over the years. In fact, my first pair of Dachshunds were from my grandmother only to prevent me from petting strays," reminisces Nanda.

Three and half years back Nanda brought into her life a beagle called Toto. Her search for the perfect food for Toto resulted in her doing a lot of research online and reading books about her pet's nutrition and health.

"I was very uncomfortable with the fact that I had no idea what I was feeding my dogs in the form of commercial food like treats, chewies, etc. And the scary part was that these foods contained chemicals," Nanda says.

Nanda started by giving Toto a combination of home cooked and commercial food. But she found the biggest problem was in the treats section meant for dogs.
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"The fact that I didn't recognise any of the ingredients listed on the packaging made me very suspicious," Nanda says.

She then started making biscuits for her two pets Toto and a Pug called Blip at home using healthy and organic substitutes.
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Initially her recipes came straight from the internet, but gradually she started experimenting, which resulted in tweaking them to creating her own recipes through trial and error.

Nanda's speciality in making dog treats lies in the fact that she usesu00a0 healthy and organic substitutes for a lot of ingredients that dogs are intolerant to or are not allowed to have, such as sugar, chocolate, oil, salt, etc.
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Nanda makes wheat-free biscuits; she even makes vegan treats and uses fructose or honey as natural sugar substitutes.

If she needs to use cheese, then she uses fresh mozzarella without any salt or sodium free cheeses. When you wonder about her chocolate cakes (chocolate being toxic for animals), Nanda assures you that she only uses carob (an alternative for chocolate that smells and tastes like cocoa and is considered safe for dog treats).

When someone approaches Nanda for an order, she first pretty much finds out everything about her four legged client.

She finds out about the dog's breed, whether it needs food or treats, a fitness diet or just as a treat, any allergies that her client might have or whether they prefer sweet or savoury stuff.

Within two days of placing an order, the goodies are delivered to be consumed within a few days.

Nanda has three little helpers in the kitchen who act as her tasters for every goodie she whips up.

Her dogs Toto, Blip and now Cherry (a Dalmatian) are willing co-conspirators and are always eager to wolf down treats and wag their tale in approval.

Call 98456 05427
Email petchef.blr@gmail.com
Log on to www.pet-chef.com
For Rs 250 onwards

Pet Chef's top five irresistible treats for your pooch

Chicken Herb Biscuits because they smell divine

Meatloaf with chicken and veggies

Apple Walnut Cup Cakes

Flaxseed Biscuits because they are good for a dog's coat and are high fibre

Pizza Biscuits because they smell and taste of cheese and tomatoes