Monsoon is all about endless downpours, crazy traffic jams, dancing in the rain and of course, gorging on mouthwatering dishes. If you are looking for desi delights, head to Jyoti Snacks Center, located at the retail court of Future Towers in Amanora Township, Hadapsar. The place, which is run by Ganesh Vitthal More and his family, serves a large variety of both Maharashtrian and non-Maharashtrian dishes.
The small self service joint accommodates about 20 customers at a time, comfortably. More takes pride in the fact that his food is immensely loved not only by the Maharashtrian residents living in the vicinity but also by people coming from all over the country.
“We have South Indians, Gujaratis, Bengalis, Punjabis and other communities coming here and thoroughly enjoying almost every dish that we serve,” he says. Though non-Maharashtrians enjoy the local cuisine wholeheartedly, they sometimes prefer idli-sambhar, dosa, uthappa etc.
Poli bhaji (roti sabzi) has the highest demand so far. “I prepare a different bhaji everyday to provide more variety and avoid monotony. I pair this with three steaming hot Maharashtrian rotis,” adds More who has been in the food industry for about 32 years now.
His current outlet, which is about nine months old, is a joint effort of his family. His son, who is married, joined his father’s venture to expand the outlet and take it to the next level. “My son left his job and joined my venture as we were falling short of helpers. We did not want to hire external help as this is a family-owned outlet and we did not want to disturb the homely vibe that has been maintained for so long,” shares More. He plans to continue at this outlet for a minimum of five years before he moves to a bigger place outside the neighbourhood.
Along with running this daily outlet, More also caters to occasional celebrations on demand like birthday parties, anniversary bashes, house parties, etc comprising about 100 people and even more.
Ask More what makes Jyoti Snacks Center special amongst the multiple other mini desi food outlets all over the city and he replies, “Each dish that we prepare here is homemade, from scratch. Even the masalas and spice powders that we use are prepared by us as we do not believe in purchasing items from outside. At our restaurant, you can expect home food, which is why people in and around Amanora Township tend to prefer eating here a lot and the cosy weather just serves as a great catalyst.”
