Gurugram-based Abhilasha Jain’s entrepreneurial journey started with a simple Facebook post in 2014.

“I am going to prepare dal-baati and choorma, a traditional Rajasthani dish, on Sunday. Let me know if anyone wishes to order,” she wrote in a moms-only group.

To her surprise, the message garnered her an overwhelming response—she received 40 orders within 24 hours!

But that was just the beginning. One order led to another, and then several. Finally, the same year, to keep up with the massive demand, she opened a catering business named ‘Marwadi Khana’ to offer authentic homemade Marwari food.

The 48-year-old credits her success to being raised in a traditional household in Bhilwara, where preparing a meal was considered to be a combination of science and art.

The success in delivering the real taste of Rajasthan has also made her financially independent, and the venture generates a monthly revenue of up to Rs 10 lakh, she claims. Marwadi Khana has been operational for a decade.

And for Abhilasha the kitchen has always been a magical place. “As a child, I thought that the food-making process was mesmerising. It was hard for me to look away from all the chopping, blending, stirring, and everything my aunties and mother did to prepare food,” she quips.

Abhilasha watched and learned, and soon began to master one dish after another.

The constant encouragement from her friends and family members, especially from her father, only increased her confidence.

However, the thought of making a career out of it didn’t occur to her until much later. As per the family traditions, she got married after her graduation and was content as a homemaker and mother.

Even after the Facebook post, it took her a while to realise her true calling, “Praises poured in from all over. I was flooded with requests from my friends and even strangers," she says.

Abhilasha has integrated over a hundred rich dishes from the region into Marwadi Khana’s menu. These range from dishes like Bikaneri paratha, kadi kachori, gawarfali dhokla, to desserts like gulab churma, baked boondi, besan ladoos, moong dal barfi and gujjiyas.

Every dish on the menu comes alive with rare practices and techniques that she inherited from her ancestral land.

She explains this by saying, “For example, the Marwad region, where I grew up, has a harsh climate. So, the lack of vegetation pushed the locals to invent sabzi alternatives such as gatte, rabodi, pittod and mangodi, ker, sangri, and dried lentils.

“To ensure that there is adequate nutrition, there is an inclination towards ingredients like beans, gram flour, millet, corn, bajra, barley bread and dairy products. I have kept these intact while cooking,” she explains.

Abhilasha is a source of inspiration for everyone who wishes to become financially independent by banking on their culinary skills.