HOMEMADE WITH LOVE

“We should come out of our comfort zone, as comfort binds us.To grow into a person we are destined to be, we need to shed our comfort by working hard and never giving up in the most difficult situations of life.”, so says Seema Abrol, a wonder woman in her own right and a role model to many!

Life is a journey and it meanders through various paths, some are easy and smooth while some are full of hurdles. It is in our hands how we face these curves. Brave are those who sail through such storms and shape their personality by dealing with the worst and unimaginable situation in their lives and coming out of it with unique strength one such person is Seema Abrol.

Seema is sensitive, soft spoken, polite and radiating with positivity. As a child Seema, led a sheltered, secure and a carefree life with not a bit to worry. Married into a business family of Batala, she was leading a luxurious and comfortable life as a doting wife and mother. Her world revolved around her husband and children, they were her centre of universe. Little did she know that her life was going to change drastically. In the year 2006, her husband passed away in a road accident. All the plans they had for their children, for sending them to a boarding school, due to lack of good educational institutions in Batala came to a nought.

During these tough times, her husband’s uncle and her brother became her pillars of support. They encouraged her to be actively involved in her husband’s business. She got tremendous respect from her employees and her family. In her heart Seema knew that if she wanted a better future for her children, she needed to move out of Batala. This was a big decision and in 2018, as she wound up her husband’s business and decided to shift to her hometown Ludhiana. Here, Seema’s life took a serious turn with her brother standing beside her as a rock. Seema ventured into starting a small business of home-cooked food restaurant called “Kitchen Abrocha”, the word Abrocha was culminated from Abrol and Chaudhary, Seema being Abrol and her parental side being Chaudhary. A home cooked food restaurant was a totally new concept for Ludhiana. Ludhiana being a city of big educational institutions, this concept became an instant hit, especially with the PG (paying guest) students. Being away from home, yet, getting healthy and nutritious home-cooked food, these students were drawn to her restaurant, just as an oasis is to the desert. Kitchen Abroacha soon became a haven for homesick students. Her USP – home cooked food using the freshest ingredients. Initially, Seema started with basic simple home cooked food like rajma chawal, chana chawal, karhi chawal and dal chawal. Within 15 days of this venture with customer suggestions, she started thali system along with chapatis. From there on, there was no stopping for Seema. Healthy, hygienic food cooked by her became an instant hit!Her thalis became popular with renowned institutions, PGs and elderly people living alone. She started getting orders for corporate meetings in offices, malls and small gatherings.

According to Seema, her success began when her nephew who is a special child became actively interacting with the customers and taking a keen interest in the day-to-day to day working. “Kitchen Abrocha” is a home away from home for many, where you are reminded of your mother’s cooking. Seema does the cooking herself and has helpers to assist her.

Covid times have been tough. But inspite of the lockdown and closing down of in-house dining,”Kitchen Abrocha” has been getting a lot of orders for home delivery, especially from the elderly who were dependent upon outside helpers for cooking. Kitchen Abrocha is providing home delivery through Zomato. The amazing quality of her food has won her several loyal customers. “Palette friendly as well as pocket friendly” is how her patrons describe her food. During these unprecedented times, special precautions are being taken to ensure hygiene.

Today, her children look upto her as a role model. Seema is truly a woman of substance. Today, Seema can proudly say that she took the right decision to step out of the threshold. This decision of hers of being financially independent has made her children responsible, focused and down to earth. Seema’s son is doing C. A. and daughter is pursuing graduation.

Seema’s message to the younger generation is that, ” If you make up your mind to do something, follow your passion without hesitation and work hard then success will definitely be yours.” In her case cooking is her passion, and this paved for her a road to independence.

Seema can be contacted on
Kitchen Abrocha
Shop No. 1 & 2 ,363/100
J Block, BRS Nagar
Ludhiana.

Phone numbers : 9876192600, 9814021170

Email : kitchenabrocha2019@gmail.com

Written by – Samita Kaur