Entrepreneur Ravi Chulani is on the verge of catapulting his once home-based Indian food business into what could become the local food scene’s next big thing, with the help of one of the F&B world’s most respected names
If you have not heard of Little Rotti, know that you are not alone. It was just recently that I got to try their excellent lamb biryani, mutton kerala, and palak paneer. However, while they are not yet a household name, owner Ravi Chulani—with business partner and chef Michael Profeta—have made the necessary moves to change that.
Chulani grew up in a household that loved food—his mother is what he fondly calls “the ultimate chef” and has passed onto him the passion for all delicious things. This is the spark that urged him and his brother Moe to open their restaurant called Masala Moe’s on the sunny white beaches of Boracay, serving up what Chulani describes as “heritage Indian cuisine.” Sadly, a series of unfortunate events led to the demise of his first food venture—the government’s mandated closure of the island; the COVID-19 pandemic shuttering our borders; and Moe’s passing in 2021. Still, their homey Indian food has generated quite a following that Chulani decided to open Little Rotti.
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For this pandemic-born business, he called on a childhood friend to partner with who knows his way around the kitchen and has actual experience in running a food business. Michael Profeta’s entrepreneurial spirit had him opening both a fishball and taco stand in a nearby supermarket while he worked as part of the marketing team at Ford Philippines in the late ‘90s. His growing passion for food is what prompted him to further his education, taking basic and advanced culinary courses in TESDA; apprenticing under established chefs Myrna Segismundo and Rommel Ramos (9501 Restaurant); then took a baking and pastry making course at the International School of Culinary Arts and Hotel Management (ISCAHM) after immersing himself in the food industry as consultant and entrepreneur.
He was the important component that Chulani needed to get the momentum going to expand the business. What sealed the deal was when one of their customers was so impressed with their food that he offered to partner with them. Potato Corner founder Jose Magsaysay Jr. (or JoeMag, as he is fondly called) is popularly known in the industry for his aggressive business style and his keen eye for innovation. It was his vision and gumption which grew the company from powdered French fries stalls to the multi-brand conglomerate now known as Cinco Corporation.