: Dal Chawal in Disney World: NRI’s Homemade Desi Food Creates Magic in the US #IndiaNEWS #Food Passion fills one with energy. This was true for 37-year-old Devyani Patel, a resident of Orlando,

Dal Chawal in Disney World: NRI’s Homemade Desi Food Creates Magic in the US #IndiaNEWS #Food
Passion fills one with energy.
This was true for 37-year-old Devyani Patel, a resident of Orlando, Florida. It has filled her with energy that she says is her driving force. Having moved to the US at the age of 12, Devyani says that cooking, cleaning and doing her chores came rather naturally to her.
“I am a mother to two and with them being home, returning to a full-time position outside of my home was not something I wanted to do. Cooking was always something I was very good at and friends and family always seemed to enjoy the food I served,??? she tells The Better India.
Knowing how to cook well became a badge of honour that Devyani wore very proudly.
In her happy space the kitchen.
“The encouragement of family and friends was what steered me towards thinking about doing it professionally,??? she admits.
With an initial investment of ,000 in 2019, today Devyani’s Fusion Flavors makes a monthly revenue of ,000 by serving some delicious home-cooked Indian tiffin meals across Orlando.
Home-cooked meals away from home
Indian home cooked meal away from home.
In 2019, she officially launched Fusion Flavors, a home catering business that primarily caters to Indians on holiday in the US and those living in the country. “Up until then I was cooking for various occasions but it was all on an informal basis. The idea of being more organised happened by chance,??? she says. Devyani admits to being nervous when she started.
“As friends, sometimes people say nice things just to keep you happy. I kept asking my friends to give me good feedback so I could improve. Nine out of 10 times they all had only good things to say, so that was encouraging,??? she says. As a family, Devyani says that everyone in her household pitched in when it came to cooking. Her mother, aunt, brother, and father all cook.
“We love cooking,??? she says with a laugh. She continues, “While in India, none of us ever did anything as we had help to cook, clean, and just manage the house, However, in the US, its different. One has to do their own job and that was when we all got into the kitchen and started to work. In hindsight, it’s been great. Today, I have a career thanks to all that training I got as a kid. ???
Once the interest in cooking was kindled there was no stopping Devyani. She relies on YouTube videos to find the right recipe and how to make new dishes.
A grand take-off
Busy at work.
One of the first few orders that she took on was for a Jain get-together. “A group of them were visiting Disney from India and had very specific requirements in terms of what they wanted to eat. There were four of them and that was a good starting point for me,??? While Devyani whips up all the lovely food, her husband Samir helps her with marketing and social media.