xtraCHEF Recipe Card: Vidya Sekhar

Explain your role at xtraCHEF.

I am part of the engineering team at xtraCHEF. I enjoy working on the vision of our product. In my role, I work on product strategy with our domestic resources to respond to evolving technology needs as well as work with our offshore resources to overcome hurdles during product development. I work on variety of tasks spanning from technology R&D/POC, assessment/integration of external platforms, and development of a library for issue resolution and customer service.

What did you do before you came xtraCHEF?

Prior to xtraCHEF, I worked at a multi-national software consultancy as a Technology Analyst. In this role, I was a lead developer building financial software for fortune 500 companies.

What do you love about xtraCHEF? 

I enjoy having the opportunity to work across multiple technologies and appreciate the career growth that comes with the exposure to emerging technologies, financial domains, integrations, and product life cycle management. The company culture is great, focused, purposeful and provides plenty of challenging tasks.

Why are you passionate about the restaurant industry?

This is a unique industry that is widespread, comes in all sizes, and forms an essential part of our lifestyle, culture, and way of life. The financial and economic prospects make it a great segment for any company to invest in.

It is also an industry that has a substantial efficiency gap where software platforms can make a significant, positive impact.

What do you do when you’re not working?

When I’m not working, I spend time with my family, gardening, cooking, and listening to music.

What’s your best WFH tip?

Start early, use technology for collaboration, invest in equipment that can help you be productive, take a walk and remember a good idea is nothing without a great team.

What’s your favorite quarantine hobby/show/book/etc.?

During quarantine I’ve been learning about traditions and culture and its relevance to our lifestyle and connecting with friends and family.

Thoughts on Work From Home?

For a technology professional, working from home is a great way to balance work and family and at the same time keep yourself safe from the current pandemic. My kids follow remote learning and as parents we like the opportunity to monitor closely what the kids learn, how they perform, where they need help and so forth. With my colleagues and team members working from home, we are able to use the time and effort saved from commute and add that to the pool of time available for collaboration. Combined with periodic team meetings, company meetings, product updates, we break the silos between teams and increase visibility across the organization. We have been able to continue the enhancements planned for our product and build strategic arms to our core product that are tailored to our customer needs. WFH works!!!