Some love stories begin with grand gestures, others with a plate of rajma chawal. For celebrity chef Saransh Goila, it all started in the most unexpected of places: Divya’s office at MissMalini, where he was hosting a pop-up for his now-iconic brand, Goila Butter Chicken. Amid a sea of non-vegetarian orders, her HR team had one unique request: a single vegan meal. The reason? “So that one person doesn’t feel left out.” That person was Divya.
Touched by the sentiment, Saransh prepared a special vegan rajma chawal – no ghee, just heart. Curious to meet the person behind such thoughtfulness, he introduced himself, and the spark was immediate. She was a passionate vegan; he was India’s reigning butter chicken king. On paper, opposites. But what unfolded was a friendship filled with shared values, countless conversations, and eventually, love.
Their early courtship was refreshingly real, which included long drives, impromptu coffee hangouts, and a not-so-typical first date: a picnic under a meteor shower in Vangani, wine and stardust included. That magical night in December 2017 was the moment they both knew, this was the start of something rare.
Seven and a half years later, Saransh planned a top-secret proposal codenamed “THE DAY“. With the help of Visit Britain (and some clever misdirection), he whisked Divya away to the Cotswolds, her fairytale dream destination. On a golden-hued evening in Lower Slaughter, dressed for a “fancy dinner,” she said yes on a storybook bridge, with a hidden photographer capturing every tear, every smile, every second.
But that wasn’t all, the days leading up to the proposal were a nostalgic walk through London, their first travel destination as a couple, with pit stops at their favorite haunts. “It was important to me that this proposal reflected our journey,” Saransh says, “London was where it all began.”
Their love story is woven through food, film, travel, and serendipity, and is a rom-com come to life. What binds them is not just a shared zest for life, but an unshakable bond built over years of quiet understanding, inside jokes, and two very loved cats, Rumi and Skittles.
“I often think, what if I hadn’t made that vegan meal that day?” Saransh smiles. “It feels like destiny.”
