There is a scene in English Vinglish , where Sridevi’s
homely character is excited to tell her husband that people consider her an
entrepreneur for selling her laddoo, and her husband scoffs at her. Well ,
things have changed for the Indian woman since then, and yet not changed in
many ways.
Home chefs and home caterers are the rising trend of the
food industry throughout India, whether you are looking for bespoke cakes for a
special occasion, or authentic parsi or corgi cuisine , or exotic jams and
pickles, or even the everyday tiffin service, Home chefs are your prayers
answered. They allow you to savour fresh home cooked meals, prepared with hand
chosen fresh ingredients, without the mass production of commercial places,
they are delivered to your home or are available as convenient take aways , and
above all it is a personal one to one interaction with the chef and his or her
food, rather than through the restaurant acting as the middle man.
In an attempt to give the home caterers and home chefs the
deserving limelight, Goa on my plate will now be featuring the famous home
cooks of Goa, along with the best restaurants in the state.
We start of the journey with Aaichi ranchikud, cooked by
Shobha Ashok Kamat and promoted by her supportive family. It all started when
they put up a stall at the Saraswat food festival in Panjim a few years back.
The chicken dish vanished with minutes and was named chicken jhanjhanit by the
family ever since. The mackerels were gone in 10 minutes and they were sold out
during the festival. Even though they were buoyed by the tremendous response at
the festival, and had decided to start their mom off on her culinary journey,
like all good intentions, this too took a backseat because everyone else needed
to get back to their work and like. Shobha
has three children, all professionals, and it was her daughter who is an
engineer, who posted a few pictures of her moms pickles on facebook a few
months later. Again the response was massive, so much so, that orders for her
pickles poured in from overseas as well, families who were coming home to goa
for the holidays wanted her to prepare pickles they could take back with them
to their friends abroad.
Since then, there has been no looking back.
They have recently started their tiffin service in Panjim
area, which is a boon to office goers, students living in hostels, patients in
hospitals and their relatives and even families where the mom needs a break
from kitchen work.
The vegetarian tiffin consists of wheat chapattis, rice, a
spicy dal, a green leafy vegetable, salad, pickle, a patal bhaji, and a little
fried side dish. Just like a typical Goan home-cooked meal, this too is
complete with sol kadi, and is both wholesome and nutritious apart from being
tasty. I liked the packaging, as well as the delivery which was prompt.
Non veg tiffin consisted of a fried fish, rice, chapattis, a
tangy fish curry with raw mangoes, a patal bhaji with sprouts, pickles, and
salad.
The enterprising daughter even has a facebook page for her
mother called aaichi ranchikud which has pictures as well as a way to contact
them. The tiffin costs 120 for vegetarian, 150 for fish, and 200 for chicken
tiffin. They supply to Panjim, Caranzalem, Bambolim, Merces, Santacruz,
Taleigao, Porvorim. Monthly orders or even single day orders placed the day
before are accepted, with special discounts for senior citizens and students.
At present it is a lunch only venture, but she has started to take party orders
as well as orders for small occasions.Specially prepared meals for pregnant
women or patients is also available, which is a boon,because not only do these
groups require added nutrition and clean home cooked meals, but are themselves
too ill or tired to cook for themselves.
It is a trend that we
all must support, where hitherto home makers are gaining financial independence
and a sense of self, the home chefs are on the rise.
Rating:
Ease of placing order: 4 plates
Service : 4 plates
Packaging of food: 3.5 plates
Presentation of food/hygiene: 3.5 plates
Taste:3.5 plates
Value for money: 3.5 plates
Promptness of delivery: 3.5 plates.
Phone number 7875769417
