In a world where being tech-savvy has taken precedence over almost anything, ‘old-school’ is a hard quality to find. The pleasure that comes with re-visiting our roots and detaching from the increasingly overbearing nature of technology is hard to match. Stemming from the same school of thought, is Swapnil Shelke’s venture, The Old School Kitchen Company. Swapnil started his own cafe on wheels outside Osho Teerth Park, in KP, Pune. Every morning from 6 am to 9 am, Swapnil stands near his motorbike and sells fresh, homemade sandwiches and drinks. From the bestselling veggie sandwich to smoothie bowls and fermented drinks, the niche menu is made with lots of love and passion. He says that the main aim is not fancy ingredients and flavours. What matters is serving food that is simple, wholesome, and nutritious. Eating here is an experience that cannot be compared to any other. Swapnil serves with a wide, warm smile along with personally handwritten notes to his customers. He interacts with the joggers and passers-by near Osho Park. His preparations start in the afternoon when he makes food in his cloud kitchen at home. He brews the drinks in the evening and reads books on organic farming and start-ups in his free time. “Currently, I am a one-man army. I don’t like to call myself a chef. I believe I’m an artist. I enjoy making food, interacting with people, and living my life like this. Building a small community and giving back to them is something that I very strongly believe in.” Swapnil, who is only 25 years old, started his business just three months ago. He has a degree in hotel management and worked as a bartender for a few years before he decided to start something of his own. A few specialities of the ‘Old School Kitchen Company’ are their non- alcoholic fermented beverages - Kombucha, Ginger Soda, Pineapple Tepache and Beetroot Kvass. For the sandwiches and breakfast bowls, he sources the ingredients from local weekly markets. Storytelling and directly interacting with people is the way the company markets itself and keeps its followers engaged on Instagram. Their mission to serve good food with old school values truly sets them apart from other small businesses. The restaurant on wheels takes orders from Swiggy and Zomato, Swapnil also personally delivers orders to his regular customers.
10 Mar 2022
Rishab Sengupta
