There’s a new-age group of senior residents discovering new passions and rekindling their desires with such renewed gusto that it places the youthful generations to disgrace.

One such girl is Smita Surendranath Blaggan, a 65-year-old restaurateur based mostly in Goa who made her foray into the hospitality sector put up retirement from her authorities job. Her Lake View restaurant is the labour of affection of each her and her son Rohit (30).

Born in Karnataka’s Dharwad district, Smita is a Maharashtrian who married right into a Punjabi household.

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“With such a various household background, I’ve been uncovered to so many cuisines and flavours,” she says.

She is well-versed in Punjabi, Goan, Konkani, Maharashtrian and now even world delicacies like Italian and continental. She ensures that each one the masalas (spice mixes) are made by her. “Relating to purchasing for the components, I do it myself. I don’t reduce corners; I solely purchase the perfect and freshest components and greens. That makes such a distinction to the flavour of every dish,” she provides.

Organising the restaurant, nevertheless, has not been straightforward. “We began operations in March 2020, and earlier than we even had time to settle in, there was a nationwide lockdown introduced. The months that adopted have been spent in anxiousness and a way of unease since we had no concept what to anticipate,” provides Rohit.

Good meals to the rescue

The one factor that the mother-son duo was very assured about was delivering good meals with nice flavours. “We spent the lockdown months ready to have the ability to serve individuals. Having at all times loved cooking, I used to be positive that the meals would draw individuals to us,” says a really assured Smita.

Recalling her youthful days, she says, “I bear in mind cooking as early as 10 years previous, making jowar roti for my father. Even after I bought married and moved to Goa in 1986, meals performed a vital function. I’m a foodie, and so I’m at all times looking out for brand spanking new cuisines and meals to attempt.”

She continues, “My mom and mother-in-law have been each great cooks and I’ve learnt rather a lot from each of them. My love for good meals was so robust that I loved coming right into a Punjabi household and studying so many new issues. In reality, after consuming my mom’s mutton curry, the odor would linger on my fingers for as much as three days, and I might love that.”

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Smita’s home quickly grew to become the spot the place everybody appreciated to assemble. Whether or not it was her husband’s workplace colleagues and executives, or her kids’s pals. The meals that she whipped up was the magnet.

Smita’s husband, Surendranath Dwarkanath Blaggan, was employed as an assistant engineer with the Goa housing board division and used to ask lots of his colleagues and executives dwelling for meals. “I at all times loved internet hosting individuals, and so lots of my husband’s bosses have praised my cooking abilities over time,” she says.

Rohit remembers the aroma of hen biryani that may welcome him and his sister, Karishma, after college on a number of events. “All my pals have been large followers of ma’s [Smita] cooking. Even after we left dwelling for faculty, after we would return for holidays with pals, the meals was a serious attraction for everybody,” he says.

‘60 gave me a brand new lease of life’

For many individuals, beginning a enterprise post-retirement occurs by probability and never typically by design. Nonetheless, Smita says that she at all times needed to run a restaurant. It was a dialog, she says, that she had typically had together with her late husband as nicely. “Each time we hosted individuals at dwelling, as soon as they left, he would inform me that meals is my true calling. At the moment, circumstances didn’t enable me to comply with that dream.”

In 2020, Rohit returned to India from Dubai, and that was when Smita’s dream noticed the sunshine of day. “We discovered a spot about quarter-hour away from our residence, and that was an enormous plus for us. Provided that ma can be on the restaurant day-after-day, I used to be eager on discovering one thing close by,” he says.

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The restaurant was began with an preliminary funding of about Rs 25 lakhs. “Whereas we began operations over two years in the past, the pandemic and the lockdown hampered the preliminary development. By phrase of mouth, we’re seeing a rise within the variety of clients every day, however we’re but to interrupt even,” he provides.

With a seating capability of 150, this restaurant is situated proper subsequent to a lake, which makes it a somewhat beneficial spot for households and teams of pals.

‘Kitchen queen’

Smita runs a good ship and says that she is explicit about all the things that occurs in her kitchen. “Nothing is pre-prepared. From making the garlic and ginger paste to the freshly-pound masala, we do all the things as soon as the order is positioned. I can sense that typically the cooks within the kitchen get bugged with my methods, however for me compromising on the flavour is simply not acceptable,” she says.

The restaurant is legendary for its genuine Goan delicacies and seafood. A number of the dishes that folks preserve coming again for embrace the prawn hazard, fish thali, rawa mussels and butter hen. Requested to select her favorite, Smita says, “How can I select between my kids? I really like every dish that I put together and each one among them is made with the identical dedication.”

None of this has come with out its challenges; actually, Smita says that every day there’s a new problem to resolve. “Just some days earlier than our massive launch, the chef determined he didn’t need to work right here. That meant that all the kitchen work fell on my shoulders. My son and daughter have many instances doubled as restaurant assist too,” she says.

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“Whereas we are able to management these issues, we even have days when the faucets run dry. We had no water provide on the restaurant, and when all the things labored, the electrical energy can be reduce off. That meant I might rush dwelling to make use of the mixer grinder for my masalas,” she provides with a hearty chortle. In the identical breath, she provides, “What’s life with out some masala and drama?”

From poring over cookbooks as a younger lady to now arising with numerous recipes, Smita says she feels completed watching her dream come alive.

In case you are in Goa and want to savour this meals, you may get extra particulars concerning the restaurant right here.