wholesome homemade food for hostel students and office-goers

Chennai resident Tajunisha Shafi supported her two children by dishing up wholesome homemade food for hostel students and office-goers in her area. Though she had a small clientele, it was often tough to make ends meet. So when she got a chance to sign up with an online portal, which makes home-cooked food accessible to people, she grabbed the opportunity.

Today, the 40-year-old homemaker gets about 750 orders a month, and makes Rs 15,000 to Rs 20,000. "I have a steady income and more money in my hand now," says Tajunisha, who signed up with www.watscooking.com this February. Her mutton and chicken biryanis, chicken gravy and chops masala are what keep the orders coming.

Ghar ka khana has never been as glamorous as it is right now. Websites such as Wats Cooking, Meal Tango, Once Upon My Kitchen and From A Home, which cater to people who prefer simple, homely fare to hotel food, have provided a platform to many homemakers to not only showcase their culinary skills but also earn a pretty penny.

The portals connect clientele to home chefs in their locality, and the services are especially popular with bachelors, single people, and the elderly. "There are so many fantastic dishes made in people's kitchens that we would never get to try otherwise," says Saket Khanna, co-founder of Meal Tango, a frontrunner in this space. "We have chefs cooking everything from Goan to Malayali food." The website, which launched in 2013, has home chefs in 25 cities today. A takeaway option has been added for Pune, and the team also plans to soon stock home-made products such as pickles and masala powders.

"The trend has been around for a long time abroad but is just catching up in India," says Wats Cooking's founder, Mohamed Ismail. Originally from Dindigul in Tamil Nadu, he moved to Chennai to study and work, and missed his mom's cooking.

So the software engineer and his wife Rilwan Fathima decided to combine his professional skills with his passion for food. Today, Wats Cooking has 2,151 home chefs registered with them, including 1,007 in Chennai, 174 in Mumbai, 160 in Delhi, and 42 in Kolkata. "Out of the total listings, 80% are pure home chefs, and the rest are home-based catering service providers," says Ismail. "They can sign up for free, and put up their signature dishes. Their earnings depend on their ratings and reviews and how committed they are to it."

Vinodh Subramanian, 27, who quit his job as a genetic research analyst to launch fromahome.com in February this year, says the nine home chefs he has tied up with are all homemakers. "They can earn some extra money even though it is the passion for cooking that drives them."

Rajeshwari Prabhakar, for instance, has always loved cooking. "When I fell ill last year, I wanted to order some home-cooked food but couldn't get good fare. So I thought of doing something to cater to the market," says the 53-year-old, who signed up with fromahome.com. Today, she provides south Indian Brahmin meals, free of onion and garlic. "My family is well provided for but I am happy to be working and do something to showcase my talent and passion. For me, it is good pocket money."

Subramanian's portal collects payment on behalf of homemakers. "We charge 10% for every order," he says, adding that response has made him realize how much such portals empower women.

For instance, C Saroja had been catering to parties and other functions before she signed up with Ismail's portal. "While I did get orders earlier, now I get 450 orders every month and make about Rs 20,000. It is steady work and I get a regular income," says Saroja, who makes south and north Indian food.

For others, it is a way to contribute towards the family kitty. Rathna Venkatesan, who works with From A Home, makes about Rs 15,000 to Rs 20,000 a month. "I have begun saving some money every month for my daughter Siranjini. It will be useful when she wants to pursue higher studies or when she gets married."

As home-chef websites continue to proliferate, apps such as Tiny Owl Homemade have been fast to catch up. Launched in February and operational in Mumbai's startups-packed suburb of Powai, the app has fast become popular among students and young professionals, looking for a more substantial meal. For those like 51-year-old Swati Davey, the growing financial independence has given her a huge confidence boost. Davey, whose sons moved abroad a few years ago, rises at 5am every weekday to rustle up takeaways of lasuni batata, palak puri and even khow suey and cheesecake. The Tiny Owl team tells her about the number of orders the weekend before and provides containers to pack the food in. "I've become a working woman now at my age," she says, laughing. "I get to do something I love and I get paid for it." 

The portals connect clientele to home chefs in their locality, and the services are especially popular with bachelors, single people, and the elderly.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chennai/Dough-rises-for-home-cooks-as-they-board-online-platform/articleshow/48841230.cms