Teacher by day, food entrepreneur by evening: Lata’s ‘dhurandar’ story of grit

She is a teacher by day and a street food entrepreneur by evening. She has a rather interesting name — Lata Dhurandhar (yes, that’s right). An art and craft teacher at Cambridge International School, Amritsar, she has been running Lata’s Kitchen, a food cart offering delectable Maharashtrian snacks, especially “vada pav”, in the Rani Ka Bagh area for the past two years.

“We follow a ‘sell-until-sold-out’ model. I often get requests to operate throughout the day. However, I have to be at school in the morning. So, my cart usually opens after 2 pm,” said Lata, who settled in Amritsar 23 years ago.

Her husband, Mukesh, is a teacher at DAV Public School, Lawrence Road. He joins her in the afternoon to help run the small business.

“We hail from Amravati in Maharashtra and moved here after marriage. I love my job as a crafts teacher because it allows me to engage in creativity. After many years in teaching, I wanted to try something new,” she shared.

Running a street food business is physically demanding, involving long hours of standing and managing cooking, supplies and operations. “Food is something I love and Lata’s Kitchen is truly a labour of love. My family now helps me as well,” she said. The idea to start a food cart in a city known as a food lover’s paradise came from her search for authentic Marathi street food.

“Amritsar is unique, offering flavours you won’t find anywhere else. Yet, authentic Marathi street food was missing, which is why I started this venture. We serve ‘dabeli’, ‘vada pav’, ‘bhajiyas’, ‘pav bhaji’ and much more,” she said, while preparing a spicy, layered ‘misal pav’. The dish, made with sprouted moth beans (‘usal’), topped with crunchy ‘farsan’ and onions, and served with buttered ‘pav’, is one of her specialties. “That’s Kolhapuri ‘misal pav’ — popular among protein-seeking food lovers,” she added.

Her day begins at 5 am and often ends close to midnight. “I prepare all the chutneys and the ‘gunpowder’ spice mix used in making ‘vada pav’ myself. Nothing synthetic is added to the food,” she emphasised.

Lata has trained and employed five women, who assist her in running the cart. The business, she said, is doing well and she has recently started a South Indian food cart as well. “My daughter, who was also a teacher at a well-known private school, has now joined me in running the business,” she said.

When asked about challenges as a woman running a street food cart, Lata said, “Amritsar is ‘Guru Ki Nagri’. People here are generally respectful and helpful. I have always had the support of my family and my school. The management there ensures I can run my small business without pressure. At work, I’m fondly known as the ‘vada pav girl’,” she added, with a smile.