How I Built a Plastic & Preservative-Free ‘Farm to Fork’ Cafe that Helps 250 Artisans Earn More

People often say craft is meant to be imperfect, but then when it comes to selecting a piece to purchase for their homes, they want something that is perfect,” says Ankita Jaiswal, the owner of Brio Art House and Cafe in Lucknow. In this space, people can get a sense of Indian art as they gorge on delicious snacks.

Having started as a Facebook page in 2011, Brio is today not only empowering artisans but also focusing on sustainability in its ventures.

A slice of art with your chai
The self-taught artist says she has always been drawn to how artisans are integral to the process of creating.

Recounting her own journey, she says she took a directorial course in business and then a short course in sculpting, but the artist in her was always alive. So she started Brio as a page on Facebook in an attempt to express herself and in 2017, she went on to create one of her own art galleries in Lucknow.

Her motive was simple — to incorporate different crafts and art by artisans.

Through the years, the gallery evolved from being a space that showcased only art to becoming one where people could snack on vada pav and sip on some masala chai as they admired the art installations.

To elevate the authenticity of the experience, Ankita also brought in young artists to come in and play Indian musical instruments.

In 2019, the range of foods that were being served grew, new dishes were added, and Brio Art Cafe was born.![3-1654006807-768x402.jpg]From farm to fork
At the cafe, all the ingredients for the dishes are grown on the property itself. A childhood nostalgia served as the inspiration for this.()During her growing up years, Ankita would eat freshly prepared potato chips made by her dadi at home. “I want to bring back this culture at the cafe,” she says.

If you wander around the five-star property in Lucknow’s Kanpur Road in the winters, you will come across rose shrubs in full bloom. It comes as no surprise that the gulkand served at your table is made by fermenting these flowers with sugar.

In summers, guests can guzzle down fresh buttermilk served in kulhad.

Sustainability at your table
The cafe’s pride is its many artisans from Uttar Pradesh. “We are a family,” says Ankita as she explains how her relationship with them goes beyond that of employer and employee.

She educates them about banking and managing their money. During the COVID pandemic, as artisans around the country were affected, the ones at Brio were provided with food and medicines.