Craving for home-cooked food? Check out Mother's Tiffin

Veda Ramaswamy, Airoli,
April 29, 2010 - DNA Navi Mumbai

Craving for your mother’s home-made food in her absence? Mother’s Tiffin might just be what you are looking for. Located in Sector 8A, Airoli, Mother’s Tiffin has slowly but steadily gained recognition in a span of just four months. The tiffin service which was launched on January 4 this year delivers simple yet delicious food to various customers in the node. A joint venture of Ashwini Gavaskar and Nilesh Nair, Mother’s Tiffin caters to clients of different age groups, right from children to bachelors to elders.

Gavaskar, a textile designer by profession, who took up catering in the recent months to fulfill her passion for cooking, said, “Since last five years, I have been planning on this endeavour, but my dream turned into a reality four months ago.” The service aims at providing good nutritious food to people who are unable to find time to prepare it for themselves, thus keeping them away from unhealthy junk food. The place was also an eatery joint in the initial months of its run, but due to large crowd and lack of space, the service limited itself to home and office deliveries besides accepting party orders.

The timings of Mother’s Tiffin are divided in two sessions, morning session from 8 am to 2 pm and evening session from 6.30 pm to 10 pm. It is open seven days a week with evening session on Sunday remaining closed. Its menu boasts of variety of dishes which differ as per the session and includes vegetarian and non-vegetarian food as well. The pricing is very affordable and has been decided keeping in mind the comfort of every common man. 

The vegetarian thali comprises of two vegetables, three chapatis and a bowl of dal and rice and costs Rs 35 only. The non-vegetarian thali consists of chicken, three chapatis and a bowl of rice at Rs 50. Majority of the food is prepared by Gavaskar herself, with the help of her employees. During festivals, they voluntarily prepare special dishes like puran polis to interest their clientele. 

On being questioned about any obstacle faced during realization of the project, Gavaskar said, “I did not encounter any difficulty whatsoever. The plan clicked and all the ideas fell into place. My younger sister, Vaishali Gaitonde supported me immensely during the initial period to make this dream come true.” The response of the customers has been extremely positive. 

Savita Pote (37), a regular client at Mother’s Tiffin was all praise for the service. She said, “It is the most convenient option for a working woman like me. One cannot afford to have the rich food of restaurants daily. The simple food catered here gives us a homely feel.” The work staff engaged at this joint is content with their work and admires the culinary as well as business skills of their head. Vinaya Patil (37), an employee said, “We share a great working relationship. There is no inconvenience caused and we are very happy with our work.”

The dishes served at Mother’s Tiffin symbolize the simple food cooked with love by a mother for her family and hence the unique name. After gaining an encouraging response, Gavaskar now plans to open a similar branch in Thane within six months and expand her business across Mumbai.