In conversation with Dibakar Mallick, guitarist of OAS The Band where he shares details about Chakna & Curry Kitchen- a cloud kitchen delivering appetizing refreshments and more to the Guwahatians.

TSM: You are a musician first, so how did the idea of venturing into the food industry strike you?

Dibakar Mallick: Apart from us being musicians, we love trying out different recipes and cooking them as well. We also think being a "foodie" or "food enthusiast" doesn't take a lot of work and it's not something miraculous to look upon. We love serving people, and hence we've set up this mini venture of ours in the hope of serving even more people in the coming days.

TSM: Tell us about your team and their specific roles?

Dibakar Mallick: Me and Junak Gogoi, we are like the head and tail of a coin. As of now, we haven't assigned any specific tasks to ourselves. We equally handle the "finances" and the kitchen duties.

TSM: What is the story behind the name Chakna & Curry Kitchen?

Dibakar Mallick: That's pretty evident from the name of the kitchen. You get different non-veg 'Chaknas' and 'Curries'. As of now, we have in and around 10 items, but soon we'll revise and most probably expand the menu. All that matters now is your love and support.

TSM: What are your specialities?

Dibakar Mallick: The idea of setting up this kitchen is to give, not really to self validate or assume stuff. We'd love you, people, to decide what's good about our food.

TSM: Do you use locally available masalas or do you procure them specifically?

Dibakar Mallick: Well, that's something YOU need to figure out.

TSM: With so many restaurants and cloud kitchens in and around the city, how do you think you are different from the others?

Dibakar Mallick: Firstly, we're not in a competition and we don't want to compete with others. What we do is out of love, out of passion. It's because we love to cook and see people's reactions. Nowadays, some way or the other, most of them out there are in a rat race to earn some extra bucks. Sadly, that's not the case for us.

Courtesy: Facebook

TSM: Tell us the typical routine-when does the day begin and when does it end?

Dibakar Mallick: We have been lucky enough to fit in somewhere between 12 p.m. and 10 p.m. following the latest SOP.

TSM: Involvement with cooking is arduous. Do you find time for music while being engaged with cooking?

Dibakar Mallick: If there's a will, there is a way. We have always been wondering and planning about setting up a physical outlet somewhere in the city. The idea of a "cloud kitchen" (that's what they call it) struck when COVID came into our lives for definite reasons, and yes, it is better late than never.

TSM: What has been the support of your family like when you decided to venture into the industry?

Dibakar Mallick: Well, surprisingly they were quite supported in this matter. We initially thought, convincing them wouldn't be easy as this wasn't something an orthodox mindset would say 'yes' to. C&C is a happy family now.

TSM: Any message for all the budding food entrepreneurs?

Dibakar Mallick: Well, nothing specific. All we could say at this point is, love what you do and do what you love. Not everything we see is a business; few things are beyond just mere business and curated with great love.