Ankita Caterous & Mess

We run our mess out of Flat No-2 in Nikhil Park D, which is right on Sinhagad Road. It’s a bit different than a restaurant because we operate from a residential flat. Ankita Caterous & Mess is basically a big kitchen where we spend our whole day preparing meals for people who don't have time to cook for themselves. We have huge burners and giant pots that take up most of the kitchen space. Early in the morning, we are already peeling bags of potatoes or cleaning rice for the lunch rush. It gets very steamy in the kitchen, and the windows are usually fogged up from all the boiling water. We don't have a fancy dining room with waiters or menus. People usually come to pick up their tiffins or we send them out with our delivery boys. The hallway often smells like dal, rice, and fresh tadka. We’ve got stacks of stainless steel containers everywhere waiting to be filled. It’s a lot of physical work, lifting heavy bags of grain and standing for hours on end. We are just a small team of people who like to cook simple food. We don't have a marketing department or a fancy website. Most of our customers are students or workers living nearby in Nikhil Park who want a simple meal that feels like home. We try to keep things consistent every day so people know what to expect. It’s a busy, humble kind of life here on Sinhagad Road, making sure everyone gets fed on time without any fuss. Sometimes we run a bit late when a burner acts up, but we always manage.