Remember your first move out of your parents’ house? Besides home comforts, most of us missed home-cooked cuisine.
When Shekhar Mittal arrived to Bengaluru for graduation with hopes, food was his biggest challenge.
“I loved South Indian food but missed my mother’s home-cooked meals. I struggled to acclimate to the cuisine and realized I wasn’t alone. I thought, ‘How can we tap this segment of the food industry?’” the 32-year-old told The Better India.
He discovered how to bring wonderful Bengaluru and Aligarh mother-cooked dishes. Shekhar’s firm Maa ka Dulaar (mother’s care) has incubated 100 mothers and homemakers. Shekhar caters their specialty meals to customers.
Born and raised in Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh, Shekhar loved eating. He loved spicy North Indian food.
“For graduation, I moved to Bengaluru in 2008. North Indian food has always been my favorite and I missed it. When I missed it too much in the hostel, I ordered from restaurants, but they weren’t as good as homecooked meals, he adds.
After graduating, he joined Accenture. But the concept of providing homecooked meals kept him going.
“In 2015, I convinced a homemaker and acquaintance to cook me some meals. I had a sketchy plan. I requested a couple pals to order actual homecooked food, and they did. “I packed and delivered the meals,” he claims.
They enjoyed the dish and requested, ‘Can we get this tomorrow?’ I had enough motivation to start this venture. For a few years, I did this on weekends while working my day job.”
Soon, orders poured in. A major turnaround occurred in 2020 when the pandemic peaked.
During the recession, my business received a lot of orders. He says it affected his career and made him decide to go full-time.
Shekhar left his decade-long employment to become an entrepreneur in 2020. He says, “I had understood that I can’t do everything on my own and that I needed a team.”
His peers and family didn’t like his professional selection.
Even when I started it as a part-time gig, the response was negative. When I quit my job for good, the response wasn’t encouraging. They called me ‘tiffinwala’ and asked, ‘Why did you study so much if you wanted to do this’. He claims he knew this was the proper way for him.
Cityhomemakers empowered
Shekhar’s firm benefited from Bengaluru’s large immigrant population.
Homemakers who love cooking are welcome to join us. The best part is, they cook what they love. This gives our customers the best home-cooked meals. “A Rajasthani mom will cook her favorite Rajasthani food,” he says.
Maa ka Dulaar has fed nearly one lakh people. The menu includes vegetarian and non-vegetarian options.
We currently cater. We cater to business events, birthday parties, weddings, and other social occasions, he says.
On how the business works, he says, “A mom chef candidate goes through a procedure. Our basic quality check includes her dishes. We focus on incubation moms who love cooking but don’t know how to create a career out of it.
Consumers can visit our website to choose from breakfast, lunch, and dinner options. We make special occasion pickles and desserts. Diwali laddoos and Holi gujiya are sweet fried snacks. He adds, “This Holi, a mom chef sold 60 kg of gujiya!” His goal is to empower homemakers and provide homecooked meals.
This is incredibly powerful, adds chef Preeti Agarwal, who has worked for the company for over six years. Before this, I was a 24-hour parent and homemaker. I loved cooking, and this business helped me become who I am today.”
She prepares for Bengaluru HSR layout functions and serves at least 50 orders a day. “Staying at home as a mom is the best part. I can manage my kids and home while producing money. Without special occasions, I earn Rs 50,000–60,000 every month. Festivals in a month boost income. Work gave me self-confidence and freedom. She says she can buy her daughter anything with her own money and that her top sellers are kadhi chawal and paneer.
Maa dulaar food
According to Maa ka Dulaar user Shreya Choudhary, Bengaluru needed this. The cuisine is healthy and tasty. I constantly miss my mother’s cuisine. They deliver quickly and have variety.”
Maa ka Dulaar exclusively serves Bengaluru and Aligarh, although you can order from their website. They receive about 500 orders daily from both cities.
He says, We receive many city queries and want to contact them all. He adds that we are creating stores where customers can buy cakes, pastries, chocolates, snacks, and other healthy homemade foods from homemakers.I also wish to contact all homemakers. Women who were financially insecure call me to tell me how they got their kids an iPhone or other desired item. This makes my job meaningful.”
Conclusion:-
Maa ka Dulaar, a home-cooked food business started by Shekhar Mittal, employs more than 100 Bengaluru and Aligarh mothers and homemakers in food catering. The company serves vegetarian and non-vegetarian food to almost one lakh individuals. It hosts business, birthday, wedding, and other social gatherings. The company incubates moms who love cooking but don’t know how to make it a job. Maa ka Dulaar offers breakfast, lunch, dinner, special occasion pickles, and desserts. Chef Preeti Agarwal believes the business empowers homemakers and provides homecooked meals. The company exclusively serves Bengaluru and Aligarh, receiving about 500 orders daily. The company is also opening storefronts where clients can buy cakes, pastries, chocolates, snacks, and other nutritious home-made goods from homemakers.
