Om Chetanya Poli Bhaji Kendra

At Om Chetanya Poli Bhaji Kendra in Parel, we spend most of our time in the back kitchen. Parel is full of people working in hospitals and offices, so they often come to us for a simple meal that won't cost them too much. We make traditional poli and different types of bhaji every day. We don't use any pre-made mixes or anything like that because it doesn't taste right. I wake up early to go to the market and pick the vegetables I can find for a fair price. Some days the dal is a bit thicker or the rotis are a little charred on the edges, but that is what happens when you cook everything by hand. We have a small seating area but most people just take their parcels and go back to work. It gets very steamy inside when the rotis are being made fresh on the hot tawa. We don't have a big team, just a few of us who know how to cook the way our families taught us back home. We don't use any fancy marketing or posters. Word just spreads because people like a meal that doesn't make their stomach heavy in the afternoon. It’s a lot of standing and sweat, especially in the humid months. But we have been doing this for a long time and we don't know any other way. We just keep the food simple and the price honest. It works for us.