Bunny Chow is the talk of town in Soho, London

Modern, fast-paced lifestyles leave little room to enjoy the meal that makes your day –the breakfast. While you might not always be positioned to prepare one yourself, there’s always the choice to drop by at a nearby restaurant and grab a quick bite. The latest fad in London’s Soho district is something similar but with a South African heritage--the Bunny Chow—a signatory South African-inspired breakfast dish served with an English spin at a restaurant that’s all the rage right now, Bunnychow.  

Having won the ‘most innovative breakfast in the UK award’ earlier this year, Bunnychow has built up wide acclaim for its funky innovations which are a take on the classic full English bunny. The 4 versions here include the ‘Durban Bunny’(slow-cooked mutton curry offered with a choice of toppings including a mango chutney and raita), the ‘Chakalaka Bunny’(spicy chicken and tomato, similarly offered with a choice of toppings), the Piri Piri Pork Bunny’ (pulled pork and Bunnyschow’s homemade Peri-Peri sauce), and the ‘Veggie Bunny’(cauliflower, chickpeas, paneer and a spicy South African sauce).

While Bunny Chow had already made it to the UK through its English adaptation, the full English Bunny, Atholl Milton, the founder and owner at Bunnychow, sought a dash of authentic South African Heritage to the delicacy after his visits to Durban and Cape Town."The actual combo of a bunny and a beer was really appealing and I loved the idea of the bunny being portable and I thought the notion of a portable lunch would work really well in London because it's a city that is constantly on the move,” says Milton –thereby revealing how Bunnychow came into being.

The classic full English Bunny is a hollowed-out brioche loaf stuffed with bacon, button mushrooms, sausages, bobotie spiced beans, black pudding and topped off with a fried egg.  Whether it is to be had handheld or with a fork is a dividing question—while the world prefers a free hand, Londoners find cutlery as their choice.
 
Bunnychow started off mobile, as a food truck and was soon a successful pop-up shop. The first pop-up shop came up in Boxpark, Shoreditch, London and their new restaurant is opening up on Wardour Street. It is owned by the hospitality group, Shanti Hospitality, a subsidiary of the larger holding company, C&C Alpha Group which has entrepreneurs Mr. Bhanu Choudhrie and Dhairya Choudhrie on the board of directors.  

Alpha Hospitals Acquired in £95m by Cygnet

Alpha Hospitals, the largest purveyor of specialist psychiatric care in England, has changed hands from its international private equity owner, C&C Alpha Group (CCAG) in a £95m sell-off. With the new ownership, Cygnet Healthcare and the parent company Universal Health Services (UHS) have their UK footprint strengthened.

Launched in 2002 with the vision of improving standards of personalised care for adults and children with behavioural and psychiatric conditions, Alpha Hospitals state-of-the-art facilities in Bury, Sheffield, and Woking have been a new high in a sector where secure settings define tertiary care. 

Originally launched by Patricia Hodgkinson, the former chief executive of the Florence Nightingale Hospitals Group, it got on the board the founder C&C Alpha Group, Bhanu Choudhrie. Summing up the acquisition, he said, “The strong interest we had from potential bidders, and the price we ultimately received, is testament to the strength of the business. CCAG incubated Alpha Hospitals and invested in it for 13 years, allowing it to scale up and grow successfully. I am delighted it will continue to grow under a new owner.”

“Our approach is to back management teams which create long-term value. I was on the board at its inception and have always taken a close personal interest in the business. We will now be looking for new investment opportunities in healthcare and other speciality services", he added.

From the first site opened with CCAG’s backing at a disused hospital in Woking, Surrey, in 2003, Alpha Hospitals expanded into Bury and Sheffield and had a turnover of £42.1m for the year ended March, 2014. With rising investor interest, the responsibility of advising on strategic options was handed over to KPMG which ran the sale process.

CCAG runs successful business operations in healthcare, hospitality, real estate, aviation, utilities, and agriculture. It recently brokered a deal for a new cancer hospital in London for £150m for the Abu Dhabi-based VPS Healthcare Group.The private facility would be the first in the UK to offer proton beam

Headquartered in London, C&C Alpha Group is an international private equity firm, with offices in India as well. Established as a holding company for private venture capitalists with more than 30 years of industry captivity, it brings together entrepreneurs, strategy consultants, project managers, and financial analysts to create stakeholder value by organic growth and strategic partnerships.

Atlantic Coast Riding High in Florida

Florida is becoming a happy hunting ground for bank merger activities. The Sunshine State, with over 22 deals worth $643 million for $5.5 billion of assets and $4.4 billion in deposits since 2014, is indeed red hot and is likely to stay that way, suggest reports.

Atlantic Coast Financial Corporation (ACFC) is one of the players to watch out here and should be a calling card for out-of-state banks planning their way into Florida. After a grind through the credit crisis, ACFC’s resurgence has been phenomenal as its non-performing assets are down from 5% to 1.16%, breaking away the mould from being “a troubled institution” to a “conducive foundation”.

Hailing the turnround, CEO John Stephans said, “Our team has worked hard to achieve a strong turnaround at Atlantic Coast and, with five consecutive quarters of profitability following our successful capital raise in December 2013, we believe the results are readily apparent and momentum is building.”
The company has just delivered its sixth consecutive quarterly report with reported earnings per share of 36 cents and there’s no reason this momentum would slow down, experts believe.

Stephans further said “We are pleased to report another solid quarterly performance for Atlantic Coast, marked by attractive loan growth and sound credit quality, notable interest income growth, and continued improvement in our interest margin. Together, these factors contributed to ongoing profitability for our company and its shareholders. Atlantic Coast is now stronger than ever as a result of the hard work and dedication of our team members as we have pursued our ambitious goals, and I am particularly proud of our team has accomplished over the past six months.”

With several bank stock activists and specialists on its shareholders list, building shareholder value may be added pressure, but at 88% of a growing book value, Atlantic Coast is a fantastic stock for navigating and building on the flourishing Florida banking market.

About Atlantic Coast Financial Corporation

Headquartered in Jacksonville, Florida, Atlantic Coast Financial Corporation is the holding company for Atlantic Coast Bank, a community-oriented financial institution serving north-eastern Florida and south-eastern Georgia markets through 11 branches.

Set up in 1939 as a credit union to serve the employees of the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad, the bank got its charter changed from a federal credit union to a federal mutual savings bank in 2000 and focuses on attracting retail and commercial deposits and investing those funds in traditional loan opportunities.

The top leadership of the bank includes Mr. Bhanu Choudhrie, Executive Director C&C Alpha Group and director to Customers Bancorp in Southeast Pennsylvania and Quatro Management in New York.

Lasting Relationships Pay Off, Says Sam Sidhu of Megalith Capital Management

Realty can be a tough profession to excel in if market analysis is not your thing. At Bisnow’s third annual ‘Residence of the Future’ event held recently, key realty personalities, including Sam Sidhu of Megalith Capital Management, shared what works and what doesn’t to get your realty bearings just right.

1.    Bull Markets Won’t Last Forever: “You have to assume the market’s as good as it’s going to get,” says HFZ Capital founder Ziel Feldman. His advice to young developers—no matter how juicy the market is looking, do not have price appreciation dictate your scheme of things.  While Manhattan realty is holding strong at the moment, Ziel feels some developers have gone overboard with their pricing projections for nearby neighbourhoods. 

2.    Be in step with technology: Development is a long game that can be easily outpaced by technology, says Gale International VP Stan Gale Jr.  There’s no point of a project rendered obsolete in the face of technological advances. Think of tech-driven amenities in a more ‘plug-and-play’ manner, like an iPhone that downloads apps as soon as they are rolled out. Contemporary markets are technology-driven, so should be your projects, says Gale.

3.     Don’t Shy off From Public Infrastructure Investments: Aging infrastructure bears down on reliability of services to new buildings, says AFK Group partner Mark Richter, who believes investing in public infrastructure and transit systems is the way forward to smart development. Greenland’s Pacific Park in Brooklyn, for example,  will have an eight-acre park with 24/7 public access and will reconnect the cut-off parts of the borough.

4.     Lasting Relationships over Short-Term Results: Recalling his early days, Slate Property Group principal David Schwartz says he had to offer several lunches to his lenders on his first development project to get them come down Brooklyn and those meetings laid the foundation of long, lasting relationships that have helped him get subsequent projects done.

Long-term relationships far outweigh short-term benefits and that’s where the focus should be on, concurs Sam Sidhu, CEO, Megalith Capital Management. “People tend to be very short-sighted on trying to get the best deal,” he says, as they look for cheap debt or raise equity. “That’s not always the right move to build a long-term sustainable platform”, he says. 

Founded in 2009 by Samveer Sidhu in collaboration with Bhanu Choudhrie, Executive Director, C&C Alpha Group, Megalith Capital Management is redefining investments in NYC with its integrated platform that specializes in the acquisition, repositioning, development and management of residential, commercial and mixed-use properties in the area. 

Hyatt,the 12th best company to work for in India

Hyatt Hotels and Resorts was recently conferred with the title of the 12th best company to work for at a ceremony in Mumbaiorganised by Great Place to Work (India).

Out of 708 participants listed, a total of 100 companies made it to 'India's Best Companies to Work for in 2015' list. Hyatt has been included in this prestigious list on the basis of a cultural audit as well as a survey conducted by Great Place to Work. The survey assesses the initiatives undertaken by the company on a daily basis to build trust as well as the respect of its people.

With a tradition of innovation developed over its more than fifty-year history, Hyatt operates with a mission of “providing authentic hospitality by making a difference in the lives of the people every day”. They adhere to a set of core values that further characterises the “Hyatt” culture.Hyatt Hotels and resorts manages, franchise, owns and develops Hyatt branded hotels, resorts and residential and vacation ownership properties around the world. The company's worldwide portfolio consists of a whopping 587 properties.

Hyatt Hotels and Resorts is recognized the world over, as a leader in promoting a nurturing as well as a positive and diverse working environment. The company has received some of the most prestigious workplace distinctions in recent years, including being listed among:

•    The top 10 companies to work for in Asia by Great Place to Work® in 2015.

•    The top 10 companies to work for in the UAE by Great Place to Work® UAE in

•    The top 50 companies to work for in India by Great Place to Work® in 2014.

Also, The Human Rights Campaign named Hyatt as a "Best Place to Work for LGBT Equality" for the tenth consecutive year in 2014.

Hyatt has also been featured in the prestigious list of awardees of Gallup Great Workplace Award recognizing them for their extraordinary ability to create an engaged workplace culture.

About Great place to work:

Head-quartered in San Francisco, is a global research, consulting and training firm that helps organizations identify, create and sustain great workplaces through the development of high-trust workplace cultures.

About C&C Alpha Group:

Private investment firm C&C Alpha Group is a London based equity enterprise with entrepreneurs Mr. Bhanu Choudhrie and Dhairya Choudhrie among the board of directors. The Group’s hospitality subsidiary, Shanti Hospitality has investments worldwide, including Hyatt Hotels and Resorts.

Nira Montana: A Refreshing Slice of Nirvana

Nira Montana, La Thuile’s only 5-star hotel offering, recently got featured in Doitinparis for it’s out of the world stay and accommodation.  Situated in the picturesque town of La Thuile, at the foot of Mont Blanc, it is just steps from the ski slopes and hikiiong trails of the Italian Alps. Carved much like the traditional valley houses of the area, entirely of wood and stone, Nira Montana promotes power optimization and saving and also upholds Nira’s philosophy of unwavering customer service and value for money.

The 55-room luxury hotel offers packages and recreational options to suit the needs of all. If you like hiking through those beautiful tall mountains, opt for the deluxe 2-hour hike in the middle of nature with a mountain guide, who knows the Italian summits like his pocket. On the way, ravel in a zipline river crossing, a footbath in a cascade, and a picnic of local charcuterie and cheese. For others who desperately crave a detox, allow yourself to be pampered by alternating spa treatments, physiotherapy and osteopathy, yoga and outings to the pool, sauna and hammam on offer.  You also get an elaborately designed menu by a nutritionist which aims at your wellbeing and living fit.

For the ones who just want some leisure time of fun and comfort, the beautifully designed rooms and alleys, the bar with an extensive wine cellar as well as an al fresco area – perfect for an après-ski or post-hike and its house spritz revisited with fresh fruit and mountain herbs--and the restaurant featuring the very best Italian cuisine, its la vita è bella…

Planning a trip already?  La Thuile is very accessible and close to the major airports of northern Italy including Milan, Turin and Genoa, as well as to Geneva in Switzerland. So, book now!

About Nira Hotels and Resorts:

Luxury hotel group Nira Hotels and Resorts, is a part of Shanti Hospitality, a subsidiary of holding company C&C Alpha Group Ltd under the directorship of entrepreneur Bhanu Choudhrie. The spirit of Nira is born out of their belief that today’s discerning guests seek a more authentic, exceptional getaway experience.


Source: http://www.doitinparis.com/en/news/art-de-vivre/nira-montana-nouvelle-destination-chic-19757?utm_content=buffer63032&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_campaign=buffer

Beat Stress With These Three Yoga Postures from Ananda

Concerned with rising health scares? Kirit Thacker, Head of Yoga at the award-winning Spa, Ananda, suggests three Yoga poses that can help you beat stress, boost health and lift your mood.

•    Shashankasana (hare pose):

Sit in Vajrasana. Inhaling, raise the arms above the head and exhale while bending the trunk forward from the hips, the arms and head held straight and in line with the trunk. At the end of the movement, the hands and forehead should rest on the floor in front of the knees. Bend the arms slightly so that they are fully relaxed and let the elbows rest on the floor. Breathing normally, remain in the final position for 3 minutes. Inhale and slowly raise the arms and trunk to vertical position. Breathe out while lowering the arms to the knees.

Benefits: Alleviates anxiety, regulates the functioning of the adrenal glands and tones the pelvic muscles and the sciatic nerves.

Remember: Must be avoided if you have high BP, slipped disc, or vertigo.

•    Sarvangasana (shoulder stand pose):

Lie on the back with your feet together, arms on your side with palms facing down. Now pressing the arms onto the floor lift your leg and spine up, raising the trunk to a vertical position. Support the back with your hands. Gently push the chest forward so that it presses firmly against the chin. In the final position, the trunk and legs are in one line and the body is supported by the shoulders, nape of the neck and back of the head. Beginners should hold the final position for a few seconds only, gradually increasing to an optimum of 3 minutes. To return to the starting position, bring the legs forward until the feet are above and behind the back of the head. Place the hands on the floor beside the body with the palms down. Gradually lower each vertebrae of the spine to the floor, followed by buttocks, so that the legs resume their initial vertical position. Lower the legs to the floor slowly.

Benefits: Relieves stress, fear and headaches, stimulates thyroid and thymus glands and alleviates asthma, diabetes, impotence and menopause.

Remember: Must be avoided if you suffer from enlarged thyroid, liver or spleen, high blood pressure or other heart ailments.

•    Nadi Shodhana Pranayama (alternate nostril breathing):

Sit keeping the spine and head straight. Hold the fingers of the right hand in front of the face. Rest the index and middle fingers on the eyebrow centre. The thumb is above the right nostril and the ring finger above the left. Close the right nostril with the thumb and breathe in through the left nostril. Close the left nostril with the ring finger, release the pressure of the thumb on the right nostril and breathe out, Next inhale through the right nostril. At the end of inhalation close the right nostril, open the left nostril and exhale through the left nostril. Practise 10 rounds.

It induces clarity of thought and concentration, increases vitality and lowers the levels of stress and anxiety. Cleanses and strengthens the lungs and the entire respiratory system.

About Ananda Spa:

Ananda Spa, the premium hospitality venture is a first of its kind in India. It is managed by the destination spa expert IHHR Hospitality. Ananda Spa has investment interests from Shanti Hospitality Group which is part of the parent holding company C&C Alpha Group Ltd of which Bhanu Chouhrie and Dhairya Choudhrie are Directors.

Source:  http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/life-style/health-fitness/de-stress/EXCLUSIVE-Special-yoga-techniques-to-combat-stress/articleshow/47910607.cms