Bhubaneswar Women Breaking Glass Ceiling With Culinary Skills
Throughout the ceaseless march of history, women have been coerced to submit to patriarchal authority. They have been deemed fit only for a life of eternal bondage and the values of submissiveness and unquestioning obedience are expected to spring in their hearts as naturally as leaves grow on trees. However, women have and still are breaking the glass ceiling in every conceivable sphere of life and questioning the brutality of the social suppression that they have had to bear with over the centuries. It is greatly heartening to recount stories of women who dared to rub shoulders with their male counterparts when it came to carving a niche for themselves. We bring out inspiring stories of women who are not just serving food, in fact they are inspiration from many women who are suppressing their passion and dreams because of different reasons.
The Food Adda— Pragyan Mohanty
Location: Bjb Nagar
Pragyan Mohanty who runs a popular food stall near BJB College called ‘The Food Adda’ says that it wasn’t easy at first but when you learn to grow, things start to fall in place.
“‘The Food Adda’ was started after the Covid pandemic, and with God's grace, everything has been going well since then. In the beginning, I managed everything—from food preparation to marketing and finances—all on my own, and this was only possible because of the unwavering support of my family.Running a food stall as a woman has never been easy. While my stall often catches people's attention because it is run by a woman, the appreciation isn't always there. However, I never let negativity crush my dreams. Today I am happy that I made this decision,” quipped Pragyan.
“Usually, people love all our dishes but chilli chicken and bahubali roll are our bestsellers. Apart from that, our food prices are reasonable enough especially for college goers. I am proud of how far I have come, and I hope I will continue making the best out of it.”
Suvy’s Kitchen— Sumana Das
Location: Khandagiri
Sumana's main motive behind ‘Suvy’s Kitchen’ is to be financially independent, being a food lover and her love for experimenting with new dishes brings her here.
“I started my venture in 2023 with an objective to provide high-quality food to a wider audience through online delivery. During my initial days, the biggest challenges that I faced were difficulty building brand recognition, managing marketing strategies and ensuring food quality while maintaining strict hygiene standards,” she informed.
Sumana proceeded, “Our USP is that we prepare food with less oil and spices as per customers demand. The customer is king, we all know that. For smooth running of any venture, I believe it is very important to understand the needs of the customers, personalizing communication, actively seeking their feedback and responding to it accordingly.”
Lotus Pizza— Kamala & Chinmayee Panda
Location: Bjb Nagar
The mother-daughter duo Kamala Panda and Chinmayee Panda started their food stall ‘Lotus Pizza’ three years ago. Chinmayee, a working professional, quit her lucrative job to devote her time to her first love— Food. While interacting with us, Chinmayee shared that in today's world if a woman wants to do something out of the box she is judged. “When we started our venture, we used to get remarks like, “Being a girl, how will you manage to stand out in a male dominated society?” But I am really thankful and blessed to have received immense support from my family which made me strong and determined towards my goal,” said Chinmayee.
She further added, “In the beginning, my younger brother helped me manage things, but he was a working professional too, he couldn't be there all the time. So, I had to handle everything—from cooking and billing to marketing and stall operations—on my own. It was difficult, but I learned to manage, and as time passed, I learnt everything.”
The Mother-Daughter duo believes that good food and friendly attitude with customers are the most important ingredients for the smooth running of the business.
Kamala Panda informed that it’s the homemade flavours and fresh ingredients that make her food standout from the crowd. “Our major focus is on hygiene, quality and affordability which make our stalls a preferred choice among students and office goers. I feel trust is very important in every field apart from offering the best quality food; we take feedback from our customers to know what they feel about our services.”
