It is the year 2000. R. Rajalakshmi, a resident of Thiruvengadam Street, Mandaveli and her family have just suffered a financial loss. She tried setting up a small shop outside her home but that didn’t work out either. With the determination to get through tough times, she decides to cook a little extra lunch and dinner and sell it to those who needed it.
Soon her business picks up, her home cooked food is appreciated. Slowly she introduces delivery too.
Fast forward to March 2020. Rajalakshmi now has 25 regular customers.
She says, “I had to stop delivery ever since the lockdown was announced in March. All my customers now come home and pick up the food. I only deliver to a few seniors in my neighbourhood. Many of them are not able to step out as they are sick and so I walk down to their homes and drop off the food”.
She says there are not many takers for dinner nowadays as people don’t want to come out after 7 p.m. because of the curfew. But she says she will continue to help anybody who needs it. “It takes about three hours for me to cook meals for 25 customers and so I only request that people place their order one day in advance. That way I can plan my work better. Though lunch orders are more, I still haven’t stopped cooking dinner. I also take orders for breakfast and will continue to do so till the lockdown ends”.
Her lunch menu, which usually consists of sambar, poriyal, kootu and rasam, is priced at Rs. 140 per person. Rice is not included. For dinner, 2 chapatis with subzi are priced at Rs. 50. Items like idli, kichidi and pongal are offered for breakfast.
All the necessary precautions with respect to social distancing and cleanliness are followed by her. Her customers wait at her gate and call her and she comes out with a mask and delivers the food, she says. To place your order call her at 9840770430.
