Residents of Escape Apartments, Nirvana Country, have started a group to provide foodies and busy office goers in their society with yummy ghar ka khana. The cooks either announce the dishes they are making on the WhatsApp group, after which orders are placed, or people request for specific dishes.Working professionals, in most of Gurgaon’s households, barely have any time to spare for cooking after a long day of work. There are some who don’t wish to eat takeaway on the daily and crave some ghar ka khana. The residents of Escape Apartments in Gurgaon’s Nirvana Country have found a solution that allows foodies and busy office-goers to avoid the hassle of cooking while still getting their daily fix of ghar ka khana in the comfort of their ghar.Since September, the residents have been running a WhatsApp group called Escape Foodies wherein residents cook and sell home-cooked food on request to other residents at nominal prices. And since its inception, the group is a hit and the busy days see more than a dozen transactions. The idea came into being with a suggestion by one of the residents named Poonam, after which a WhatsApp group was formed by two other residents – Piyali and Ananya. “Poonam aunty’s suggestion was to have a platform where we could share home-cooked food with each other, after which Piyali and I formed the group in September. The idea was never to earn money but to give the ladies in the society an avenue to exercise their culinary skills. There are a lot of stay-at-home women in our society who cook a variety of cuisines, and they would like the recognition, adulation, and satisfaction from cooking,” says Ananya.The group works in two modes. One is where anyone who wants to cook something can post it on the group, announcing the dish and people interested can place their orders. The other method is where people request specific ‘cooks’ for some particular dish, usually a day or two in advance. Currently, the group has 108 members – all from within the society, and those who are not part of the group, place orders through calls and texts. Manashi Roy, who is one of the first members of the group, tells us, “The group has members across all ages, from young mothers to senior citizens, and people from all parts of the country. This ensures that there are experts of all cuisines and people get so much variety. Someone is great at making Kashmiri food while others make excellent Bengali dishes. And on top of that, a lot of people who might not be on the group, call us or text separately to order.” For now, since the group is limited to within the society, the food is delivered personally. In the case of outside orders the cook ensures the food is delivered on time with the help of family, or often delivering the food themselves.Most of the cooks in the group are women who say they started this as an avenue to explore their culinary skills for a wider audience. Vartika Kalra, a jewellery designer by day, says, “I got into it because I am passionate about cooking and I was looking at an avenue where other people apart from my family could enjoy my cooking too, and it has been great. The phirni I make has been such a hit in the society that I keep getting orders for it every week.”For some, it is as low as once a week but others take four-five orders in a week, with the weekend being a particularly busy time. “Every week I have to say no to two or three people because, by the weekend, I already have other orders to be made,” says Manashi Roy, whose saag meat is quite popular in the neighbourhood. Quite often, the popular and uncommon dishes sell like literal hot cakes . Ruchi Verma, a writer who works from home, tells us, “I made this Gujarati street food called dabeli in the first month when the group began, and people loved it since it is not easily available in Delhi. I sold 150 pieces of the dish in one go – that’s 50 plates (each with three dabelis), each priced at Rs 100.”Home cooks from the society serve their delicious food to residents of the societyThe fact that the food is home-made and cheap adds to its popularity. Ananya tells us, “Something like waffles are available for just Rs 120, while a dish of mutton curry that serves two sells at Rs 250-300. That is cheaper than most restaurants in the city, and needless to say, it has the advantage of being home-cooked.” Among the most popular offerings in the group are the Bengali dish payesh, phirni, gatte ki sabzi, mutton curry, kadhi chawal, dal baati choorma, and a range of Kashmiri non-vegetarian dishes.People who order regularly say that apart from the usual time constraints, the hygiene factor is also a reason for many to be drawn to the concept. “In a restaurant, most of the times, you are not certain of how healthy or hygienic the food is. Everything is cooked in the same gravy, be it vegetarian or non-vegetarian. But in this group, sab ke ghar ka khana hai so you know there is quality control there. My family has made it a point to try out as many new things as possible,” says Sudhir Jayant, an engineer. Another added advantage – according to the regulars – is that it is not a business and the cooks treat them like family. Shalini Mullick, a doctor who lives in the society, tells us, “It is like an extension of your own kitchen. Everything is home-cooked and the people are so nice that they take orders on short notice too. Money is never a concern but the food here is healthy. It beats all the food delivery apps and restaurants in the city.”While the group and the home-cooks’ ‘business’ keeps expanding, the founders say that their motive was never money but to give the women a platform, which has been successful so far. “Some have rediscovered their confidence because nobody is overly critical here. Others have found their entrepreneurial side through the group and are now selling food separately too. In the end, that was our motive,” Ananya sums up.

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