Ashwini Aditya Kamat Tarcar, Founder, Shree foods, Goa

Every occasion we celebrate has an essential element that cannot be overlooked, and that is the catering. The catering makes a marriage or even a birthday party something to remember and Ashwini Aditya Kamat Tarcar is just the person to make it memorable. As a Woman Entrepreneur she established Shree foods in 1996, and has since steadily catered her way to success.

Ashwini told us about her journey so far, saying “Shree foods is into outdoor catering for weddings, parties, other functions in Panjim, Goa. It started out as a hobby and turned into a full time business. We have a good reputation and demand in Goa. All our staff is trained at our place, we don’t accept trained staff, so the taste and recipes are the same at any time. Moreover we have the pleasure of training boys who are illiterate and not financially well off into cooks and waiters. This also gives them a chance to earn a better living.”

Ashwini’s crew is a whiz at making your stomach’s desires come true. She states their repertoire saying “We cook and serve what people want to eat, we are not specialized in any particular cuisine, I love to cook, and that is the secret. Success has followed”

In the near future Ashwini would like to use her knowledge of cooking to diversify Shree Food’s offerings. She says “I would like to start a garam masala unit in the next two years and also continue with existing work that will give me an opportunity to reach out to people outside Goa.”

She believes that “Entrepreneurs are born…you don’t have a choice.” and passionately adds “24x7, I only eat drink sleep and think business.” 

Ashwini has discovered that in the catering business you have to be prepared for any eventuality. She recalls a challenging situation she overcame saying

“My neighbor threatened my staff, so most of them quit without informing me, I had to cook for 500 people with just 3 untrained ladies who were employed to wash utensils; the food turned out well and the function was a success. Later all my staff came back.”

She has learnt that an entrepreneur must limit their passion for the business to move forward. She says “I used to do lot of physical work to save money initially, and that used to exhaust me physically and mentally in turn affecting my networking with people to get business.”

Shree Foods started out of Ashwini’s home with 1-2 workers, a decade later she has have 10-15 workers cooking up a storm for her. She is delighted to inform our readers of her latest coup and reports “This year I have supplied food to Taj Vivanta Panaji for 3-5 months prior to their opening and to the Goa Marriott Hotel meals for 4000 people.”

As if Shree Foods in itself is not a full time preoccupation, our committed woman entrepreneur also finds time for social initiatives, she guides and gives talks at the Sahitya Samellan in Goa to encourage the growth of women entrepreneurs.

Ashwini has only thought of quitting once, but nothing on earth can stop this woman from honoring her commitments. She recalls the moment she almost threw in the towel saying “when I had an accident with 3 fractures, I was bedridden for 3 months. But I didn’t give up, since I had too many commitments to fulfill.”

Ashwini has a word of advice or two for those planning to step into business for themselves and says “Love your work and set your priorities, you will have to sacrifice something to achieve success. Be focused like an ant, the minute you get an obstacle find another way, don’t stop.”

Yourstory salutes Ashwini’s determination and tenacity, we hope to see her dreams flourish and someday soon taste her sumptuous food.