When Olive opened it's blue doors in the capital, AD Singh created a unique signature which shaped how the stand-alone restaurants can bring to life a certain quality of experience that customers were yearning for.
At Longform it has been our privilege to work with the Olive Group as their national corporate communication strategy partner and bring to life many stories.
From Olive Qutub to The Grammar Room and Serai onto Olly, Guppy, SodaBottleOpenerWala, Ek Bar and Lady Gaga, it has been a fulfilling journey for the past 15 years.
The Olive Bar and Kitchen is one of the best restaurant brands in the country, having successfully pioneered the concept of standalone restaurants and received a slew of awards across India. Through all its projects and endeavours, Olive has proved that it is committed to celebrating and bringing to its patrons the finer things in life; even during the pandemic with #OliveMagicAtHome.
Providing and cultivating a perfect marriage of style, art, culture and cuisine, Olive has created benchmarks in the Indian independent restaurant business. Olive’s landmark brands can hold their own among any other across the globe.
Here we are in conversation with Olive Qutub, Delhi’s Executive Chef Dhruv Oberoi on how important being sustainable is-
“Sustainability is a system, and has to be viewed through a wider lens. It is not just about using local ingredients, or eating organic or not using plastic. It needs to be a part of every decision and every level of your business."
For example, we buy local from farmers, beekeepers and other vendors not just because of the quality and freshness of their ingredients but also because by doing so, we reduce our carbon footprint, support the local ecosystem and understand the seasonality of where we live. Knowing which produce is available at which time of year is a great learning for chefs, especially.
We also pay a lot of attention to composting the waste from our kitchens, recycling water as much as we can, and reusing objects such as glass bottles. We buy our aprons from a supplier who makes them with recycled plastic or bamboo fibres. In fact, during Earth Week in 2019, we used cracked plates at the restaurant - I was inspired by kintsugi, a Japanese
art-form in which they repair cracks with golden paint, as a way to highlight the beauty of imperfection.
"As a chef, I am always trying to push boundaries and incorporate new ideas into the restaurant and, of course, on our menus. I would love to explore regional European cuisine, which fits into our Mediterranean ethos but will introduce our patrons to new flavours that they will hopefully enjoy.”
"We’ve worked with Pareina and the Longform team from the time I opened Olive in Delhi many years ago. They’re always professional, have a deep understanding of the market, good strategic thinkers and fun to work with."
-AD Singh, MD, Olive Group on Longform