The pandemic has brought with it an unprecedented level of uncertainty and insecurity especially with regard to employment and the stress of sustaining incomes in these trying times. The silver lining for some enterprising folks is in adapting to the situation and being ingenuous in beginning new ventures that have the potential to raise the Income curve while governments worldwide are occupied in flattening the COVID curve.
Mackinlay Barreto and
Kevin Mascarenhas, friends for over a decade, were involved in relief work
during the first phase of the lockdown which included distributing refreshments
to police personnel on duty. This imposed pause made them brainstorm on ideas
that aimed at providing succour to others around them and make for a sound
business proposition. Predictably, a concept around food and more importantly
well made, traditional local Goan food seemed appropriate and thus, the idea of
The Local Kitchen Co+operative - a collective of local women cooks was birthed
in the pandemic crisis and hopes to sustain long after.
Barreto shares, “Food is life sustaining
and especially in these times, with restaurants shut and supplies minimal,
people have been wanting fresh, good quality and value for money home cooked
food. Our Co-operative of local women home cooks (I won’t use fancy terms like
‘chef’) use traditional methods of cooking authentic Goan dishes - from making
their own masalas to even choosing to do signature dishes that they excel in
making. For most of the women on board, this opportunity has been a welcome source
of income and a sense of empowerment and pride.”
Operating with a conditional FDA license
from their central kitchen in Miramar, the menu currently veers more towards
the Goan - Portuguese delicacies and includes popular fare like pork vindaloo,
xacuti, chicken cafreal, sorpotel, choriz pulau and beef stew to the relatively
rare additions like feijoada (a delicious Portuguese stew of beans with beef
and pork) and fish almonn. Adds Barreto, “An exception to the typical Goan
fare, is the chicken, prawn and mutton biryani, made by a home cook in Merces.
We also have traditional desserts like jackfruit souffle, alle belle and dos on
our menu, made by specialists who choose to make these dishes given their
expertise.”
Ambitiously aiming for a better rounded
representation of Goan cuisine, the Co+operative also hopes to include saraswat
dishes to their menu in the near future and are looking to identify the right
magic creators. Foodies themselves, the duo are eager to experiment with fusion
fare by wanting to introduce the chorizo to pizza or even a chorizo curry.
Currently delivering in and around Panjim:
Miramar, Dona Paula, Merces, Ribandar, Taleigao, St.Inez, Chimbel to even
further up North to Chorao, Pilerne, Aldona, and Siolim, the duo have also made
a foray to deliver to Margao in the South. Eager to personalise their service,
they currently do all the deliveries on their own and need a day’s advance
notice to service orders.
The proof of the fare is in honest customer feedback and while Verner da Costa Frias, who runs a popular beach resort in Candolim. He said, “In the pandemic situation that we are in, this concept is the way forward. The concept of a co-op of cooks is wonderful and by patronizing it, we indirectly help the cause of livelihoods. Moreover, the rates are extremely reasonable making it affordable to most households,” he remarks.