Textile engineer Naaz Anjum, upon relocating to Hyderabad after marriage, reignited her passion for cooking.

Her food garnered admirers among neighbours and bachelors in her building who frequented her for her flavourful curries.

Encouraged by their requests, she transitioned into the food business, launching ‘Anjum’s Kitchen’, one of Hyderabad’s pioneering women-owned cloud kitchens.

In 2016, Anjum ventured into desserts, debuting with specialities like ‘double ka meetha’ and ‘lauki halwa’ during Ramadan, initially selling them at her brother-in-law’s restaurant.

Encouraged by their popularity, she expanded her offerings, and since her first delivery, ‘Anjum’s Kitchen’ has fulfilled over 20,000 orders to date.

Her culinary journey took off when her first order for mutton dum biryani at a home gathering in HITEC City garnered rave reviews, sparking further orders through word-of-mouth and Facebook.

Balancing family responsibilities, she meticulously prepared each order herself in her kitchen after attending to her children and husband.

Today, she caters to about 25 to 50 orders daily, which include daily tiffins and biryanis. She also gets party and dessert orders.

Continuously innovating, Anjum offers creative options like the ‘Iftar platter for one’, featuring dahi wada, haleem, starters, fruits, and dates.

Her daily tiffin service, priced at Rs 400 for lunch and dinner per day, presents a rotating set menu, often introducing new items — such as mirchi bajji (chilli fritters), pakode (fritters), custard, and more — to delight her customers.

Anjum’s bestseller is the mutton biryani, which sells for Rs 1,800 per kg and can feed six to eight people. Other crowd favourites are the double ka meetha and chicken tikka.

Crediting her success to sheer hard work, she says, “If we want to make a name for ourselves, we have to work very hard. It requires a lot of effort.”

Starting with Rs 80, she earns over Rs 1 lakh per month today. She also conducts online cooking classes for people living abroad.

“Keep hustling and put in your 100 percent. Practice makes one perfect. Keep at it till you become the best. You too can make it if you keep your eyes on the goal and enjoy what you do,” she adds.