“Can I help you, Mumma?” asks my 5-year-old son. Looking down, I see him staring up at me with an innocent and hopeful face. Like I could turn down such enthusiastic assistance from someone I consider to be the cutest kid in the world, a moment later, he sits on the kitchen table alongside me. Whether we’re baking cookies or making a new recipe for my clientele, I’m happy to have him be a part of the process.
It’s not just about food but it’s about the bond we share while making the food.

I started cooking when I was 10. I had learnt the nuances of cooking mainly from my grandmother as she’s a typical Hyderabadi. Nevertheless, I have also learnt a lot of recipes from my mother who was a native of Afghanistan. She used to make the best of Kebabs, to be honest. Later she had to actually twist the Afghan recipes to make it look more like a Hyderabadi to match my father’s taste. In this way, I have had a lot of fond memories with my family members in the kitchen.

After my marriage, I continued cooking as a hobby but never thought that I would venture into the cooking business full time. It all started accidentally. In 2018, one of my friends had some visitors from her native place. She was from the North and she said that she wants to host a family dinner with Hyderabadi dishes. So I had prepared the food just upon her request and thankfully, the guests loved my recipes. In fact, a few in the dinner asked me if I could cook for their forthcoming event too. I went ahead and made it for their event. My friends suggested that I should do this as a business full time and that’s how I started Ruheen’s Kitchen in 2018.

I did make a customised list and started running my business at a very low key initially. I was not sure if I would continue it further because I had small kids. Thankfully, it started picking up well and I was able to build a clientele for myself.

I always aimed to cook fresh food because my mother often stressed cooking fresh food. She always used to say, “What you think is good food for you, only then you should offer it to others.” So whatever I cook for a day or an event, I ensure my food is fresh. If there’s any leftover food, I would donate it to the food vending machines installed by the GHMC because I don’t believe in feeding my family the leftovers so why should I sell it for money?

To venture into business, of course, family support is needed. And I must thank my entire family who was supportive throughout. After running my home kitchen for more than four years, I took a break and have started working as a Chef at the Date Cafe & Lounge for two months now.

I have come across a lot of mothers, who are quite skilled in different ways but they confine themselves to their homes after marriage. They say they cannot pursue their other interests because they have kids to take care of. Well, I just have one message for women with children – Never look at your children as an additional responsibility. Look at them as your inspiration and do something that your children could be proud of. The change will not come if we wait for it to come to us. So one should come out of their loop and instead communicate their interests clearly to their family members for their progress.