The Verandah Kitchen turns 15!

Celebrating fifteen years of food and stories...

One winter afternoon, in 2009, we chanced upon a charming cafe tucked in a Hampden rowhome. Drawn in by the aromas of steam rising from a soup cauldron and sandwiches sizzling on a griddle, we found a tiny table along the corridor. Every customer bumped into us as they came up to place their order but this didn’t deter us from basking in the warmth of the crammed cafe. After our hearty meal, as we were leaving, I wished I could've lingered a little longer in that delicious mayhem. 

A few years later, in 2011, through an unexpected turn of events, I had the opportunity to take over this very space. It was now up to me to recreate that same warmth. Places have their own energy, and this came with loads of good karma. That, coupled with the warmth of spices, left very little for me to do. I simply enjoyed the ride. We called it The Verandah as an homage to its covered porch, which also happens to be one of my favorite architectural features, where the outside and the inside seamlessly merge, where one can watch life go by or be a part of it. 

This August, that very cafe, now The Verandah Kitchen (TVK), turns 15!!! Here is a quick recount of our journey: 

2011-2019: The Farmers Market Era

The Shop, as we fondly call it, dutifully served as a commissary kitchen to our farmers market endeavors. Open for lunch, the menu was dictated by our offerings at the markets: kababs, parathas, chaats and wraps. While I was mostly on the road, running between markets, our teammates ran it efficiently. They cooked, served and helped to build the community that I had the privilege to enjoy then and continue to enjoy to this day. 

2019: Reflection Time

For a good part of 2019, the shop was closed while the operation expanded to two other locations. Spread too thin and often exhausted, some evenings I would come to the empty shop, just to breathe. It was my safe haven. Yet, it didn’t make business sense to hold on to a closed restaurant. One evening at the shop, my husband and I were in the dining room discussing closing this location while our children were playing in the basement, where they had spent countless hours after school over the years, drawing at my desk, while I cooked above. Sensing our stress, they came upstairs, tearfully holding their old post-it notes and sketches that I had saved. The shop was their childhood memory of what home felt like and they weren’t quite ready to let it go. We immediately dropped plans to close. 

I am forever indebted to them for that evening. I realized that growth isn’t always about spreading out; it is about going inwards first. We dropped the other locations and found a new expression right where we began, in Hampden. 

2020-Present: Recover and Reinvent 

We updated our concept from street-food to small plates, shifted to evening hours, and added beer and wine. I was nervous as we re-opened the doors, turning a page in TVK’s life. Within days of this, the pandemic struck. Like everywhere else, things came to a sudden halt in our corner as well. Uncertainty loomed. 

In hindsight, I must confess, I was secretly relieved to take a pause. The lockdown was a blessing in disguise. It gave the restaurant my undivided attention. Fueled by the family’s energy, we cooked and packed take-out orders relentlessly, listening to Louis Armstrong and Ella Fitzgerald on a loop! We came out stronger. I spent time studying regional Indian cuisines, learning to cook better, and understanding the deep connection between food and culture. 

Through every version, our community of diners has been incredibly supportive.

I have three children, with TVK being my youngest, and I would be lying if I said I didn’t have a favorite! 

What makes TVK special is that while it doesn’t talk, it silently teaches. Here I learnt skills I didn’t know existed and lessons I didn’t know I needed. It encourages me to examine my beliefs, limitations and understanding of the world. While it doesn’t need to be fed, it has relentlessly fed me with inspiration and nurtured me. Here, I connected deeper with my children. Evolving from being just their parent to becoming their boss and eventually growing into friends and creative collaborators, I couldn’t have asked for more. Here's wishing my youngest baby a happy 15th birthday!

Our original signage. My friend Tanya designed the logo. The brief she got was to capture the breezy essence of a verandah. She came up with a graphic resembling a pinwheel. We loved it and it has stayed ever since, evolving over time. We inherited the sunflowers from Soup's On. While they were removed in the 2020 renovations, we still have them in the basement. Hopefully they will make a reappearance on the Verandah soon!