Zallkar The

At Zallkar The, our main base is the Zallakar Central Kitchen over in Pela, Mandupalam. If you know the Kottayam area, you know it can get quite rainy, which sometimes makes getting supplies delivered a bit tricky. The kitchen is always a hive of activity from early morning. We start before the sun is even up, getting the stoves going and prepping everything for the day ahead. It is hard work, and your back definitely feels it by the afternoon, but it is what we do. The smell of spices is always hanging in the air, which I guess is better than a stale office smell. We are not trying to be some high-end luxury spot; we just focus on making sure the food is prepared the way it should be. The floors are usually a bit wet from being washed down, and there is always a stack of crates somewhere that needs moving. We have a local team from around the area, and we mostly speak a mix of the local language while we work. It is not a quiet place by any means, with the pots clanking and people shouting out orders. We just try to keep the kitchen clean and the pots full. It is a busy life here in Mandupalam, and we just keep pushing through the daily rush to get everything out on time.