FoodSt is the meal delivery service empowering home cooks

How has FoodSt helped you during lockdown?

When lockdown hit Sydney, it impacted my little family immensely and FoodSt is helping me stay afloat, as it’s currently my only source of income. With everyone dealing with the emotional & physical impact of this altered lifestyle, I’m grateful for the opportunity to be a part of something that’s a source of relief to many. I believe it really helps people to know that even though the food on their plate has been cooked by someone else it really has been made with love. 

What do you cook that you feel represents you best?

Everything I cook is a true representation of me. Each and every dish I prepare is taken from either a traditional recipe that’s been handed down to me or a much-loved recipe that I asked someone to share with me. They are the culmination of beautiful memories and amazing stories, often inspired by my travels and experiences of eating food in homes around the world. Every time I serve food it’s all coming from a very special place in my heart and is 100 per cent me.

What do you love the most about cooking for people?

Someone enjoying the food I make is an incredibly satisfying feeling. It’s how I do my bit for humanity, one meal at a time. I love the interactions, observations and life lessons that come from spending meaningful time with others and learning about their food and life experiences. I love that people now get to share my food and learn from me, at the same time being deeply nourished by the pure love and generosity I have put into each meal. There’s real beauty in that act, even with the most humble of meals, and that’s what I want to recreate when I cook for people.

The dish to order? Anushree's Rajma dahl with naan.

How has FoodSt helped you during lockdown?

As a contact tracer, I’m an essential worker and I’ve been doing that for about 16 months now. It can be intense so making fish pies and cottage pie for FoodSt has been really therapeutic and given me a way to kick back, relax, and get back to doing something fun that I really enjoy. The community has also been amazing, it’s like being part of a big family - the group chats and messages where we swap advice and check in on each other have really helped me out through lockdown.

What do you cook that you feel represents you best?

I’m famous for my fish pie and cottage pie at FoodSt and out of those two it would have to be the fish pie. A classic, traditional British dish that perfectly represents my British childhood and evokes memories of family, food and community. I think that’s why I enjoy making it so much – it’s more than cooking when you’re making authentic recipes like this, it’s about paying tribute, honoring the past, and tipping my hat to the people and experiences that made me the person I am today.

What do you love the most about cooking for people?

Cooking is a language of love for me. It’s all about the sharing and the way it opens up homes and conversations to bring family and friends together over a meal. To me, a home-cooked meal says I’ve put the time in because I care. I could have gone to the shops but this meal means something to me, you mean something to me, and that’s why I’ve made the time to give it my full attention and make it amazing for you.

The dish to order? Richard's cottage pie.

How has FoodSt helped you during lockdown?

The number of orders I’ve been fulfilling has increased considerably during lockdown. This has helped with keeping me busy and increased my earnings at a time when I really needed it. More than that though, it has empowered me by giving me a sense of purpose and lifting my spirits. Simply through knowing that I’m able to make a real difference in people’s lives by providing food for so many of them, and for their families. It means someone’s day, or their overall lockdown experience is better because of me. That in turn makes my day and has made my own lockdown experience so much more positive. 

What do you cook that you feel represents you best?

Chicken Biryani is my signature dish. I have always been fascinated by the fact that a single dish like a Biryani can have so many variations in flavour and ingredients, simply because of which part of India the recipe originates from. Mine is prepared Hyderabadi style and is considered the king of biryanis. This is because the meat is marinated overnight and then slow cooked in an airtight container with partially cooked rice and layers of coriander, mint leaves, and fried onion. A really special traditional cooking technique called dum pukht that I’m so proud to be continuing authentically all the way over here in Australia.

What do you love the most about cooking for people?

The joy of the simple act of doing something for someone else is what drives me. As well as that, FoodSt provides me with a platform to showcase the amazing food from my home country. Through my cooking they get to experience a little taste of India without ever leaving home, and I get transported back there too. Now more than ever that’s something to really love about cooking Indian food far from home in another country.

The dish to order? Umesh's chicken biryani.