Women play a number of roles, from being a super mom and a house maker to being a medalist at the Olympics, and they shine in every field that they work in. India is getting its ‘first woman’ in different professions: India’s first woman President, Pratibha Patil, the first woman astronaut, Kalpana Chawla, and the list goes on.
This year, another achievement has been added to the list. Asia’s first all-women food truck, 7th Sin, has been started by a group of Indian women in Bengaluru, India.
Bengaluru-based food entrepreneur Archana Singh founded 7th Sin Hospitality Services, almost a year ago. After a year of successfully running a bistro and doing catering for multiple events, she launched a food truck, which is Asia’s first all-women food truck. All the work in the truck, from cooking the food to driving and maintaining the truck is carried out solely by women.
The concept of food trucks is widely spreading worldwide because of the fact that they involve less investment and maintenance in comparison to a restaurant. The food served in a food truck is much more than sandwiches, ice cream, and burgers. For nearly every cuisine, there is a food truck in the world, making people crazy with barbecues, tacos, and gourmet desserts.
Its Beginnings
Archana belongs to a family with a navy background. She’s a food lover and traveler. After settling in Bengaluru, she had to travel far away amidst the heavy traffic just to enjoy food in her favorite restaurant. This problem gave birth to the idea of a food truck that would make it easier for people to have their favorite food without much fuss. And so, 7th Sin food truck was founded.
She spent a lot of time researching how to start a food truck in Bengaluru and finally bought a van and sent it in for modifications. The makeover of van took about 7 months, but the results were outstanding and something worth admiring.
The Menu
If you’re living away from home and missing the ‘Ghar-ka-khana,’ the ideal destination for you will be 7th Sin, which serves its customers with “glocal” food—global food with an Indian twist.
The menu changes every day and includes Chicken Tikka Pasta, Malai Veggie Risotto, Quesadilla with Chettinad sides, Indonesian and Sri Lankan Biryani, gulit-free salads, and their signature desserts. The food won’t be heavy on your pockets because it is all affordably priced between Rs.50 to Rs.220. On Wednesdays, the truck celebrates women’s day with a special menu at cheaper rates
Meet the Team
The 7th Sin Hospitality Services is an 18-member team. The food truck has six employees, including three service staff, a driver, CEO Parveena Nandu, and Archana herself. The rest of the members manage the catering services. 7th Sin hit the roads in August 2016 and operates outside the Bagmane Tech Park on the Outer Ring road, Bengaluru.
Why It’s Special
Apart from being Asia’s first all-women food truck, 7th Sin is setting a benchmark in Indian society by appointing women from the under-privileged sections through special training.
“It’s not always about fancy degrees; there are a lot unskilled unemployed women who have so much untapped potential. I hire girls who have no previous work experience and come from backgrounds where they do not get a lot of opportunities. We consciously hire such women through foundations we have tied up with and train them,” said Archana in an interview with yourstory.com.
Archana knows very well how important it is for women to be financially independent and secure. 7th Sin is one step towards making women independent and empowered and establishing the fact that nothing is impossible.
The food truck operates six days a week, and on the seventh day free food is distributed outside temples, mosques, and churches. The food truck and team has received an amazing response within a very short span of time. Their inbox keeps flooding with messages and invitations from different tech parks, institutions, and customers. Archana has decided to introduce the food truck in Hyderabad and Chennai soon.
I personally hope the 7th Sin food truck comes to Delhi soon, and am excited to see it develop in the future.