JOIN USFood trucks may not be new to Bengaluru but one run on women power alone is a novel and refreshing sight. Founder Archana Singh and CEO Praveena Nandu along with the all-women team of five launched the food truck in Bagmane Tech park on Monday. And it is already a hit with customers.
After years of working in corporate communication, Archana left to pursue her two passions- children and food. Heading operations for a pre-school chain, she fulfilled the first. She had been playing with the idea of starting a food truck for two years before she founded the company, 7th Sin Hospitality Services in November last year.
“When the remodelling of the truck delayed the launch, I got an offer from a corporate to run a bistro on their premises.” Archana said. With the bistro up and running, it was time for the truck to roll out. The ‘Glocal’ cuisine they serve at the bistro got the corporates interested.
The food truck too serves the same food. One can find unusual items on their menu- malai tikka pasta, quesadillas with Chettinad chicken filling, paan cheesecake- essentially, global food with an Indian twist. “Since gluttony is the seventh sin, I thought this would be an appropriate name, Our portions are also large, in keeping with this,” Archana said.
Having been independent all her life, she wanted women from all strata of society to be able to experience the same freedom. Most of the women she hires, be it at the bistro, the truck or the central kitchen in Mahadevapura, are from underprivileged families, often school dropouts and victims of domestic abuse. Archana wanted to empower such women to become financially independent and get a new lease of life.
“I believe that with training, unskilled labour can be converted to talented workers.” she said. Professional chefs in the company train the women and according to Archana, now they cook just as well as them. Hemavathi, who studied till class 10, said: “This is my first job and I love the work. It is a new experience for me and it feels good to be earning.”
The food truck will be open for business six days of the week, parking in colleges, IT parks, at events and even birthday parties. On Sundays, the truck will park in different parts of the city to provide free food to those in need of it.
The truck is already grabbing attention of other states with people from Hyderabad and Chennai asking if franchises could be opened in those cities. Praveena Nandu, CEO, said, “It’s been less than a week but the response has been great. People are being drawn in by curiosity and we are being invited for many events.”
DH News Service