Cambro’s Business of the Week: The Indian Pantry

By Cambro Manufacturing on December 12, 2021 • ( Leave a comment )

Tushar Tondvalkar lives and breathes authentic Indian cuisine. Spending his summer holidays in the slow and simple village of Malvan in the South of India, Tondvalkar created some of his earliest and fondest memories of cooking and eating food. Nine years after he finished culinary school, he had the opportunity to start his own catering company featuring the foods he grew up on paired with sophisticated service and presentation.

What inspired you to get into foodservice?

“Honestly, I stumbled into cooking quite randomly. I always loved eating and watching my mother and grandma cooking, but it wasn’t until my friend came home from culinary school with fresh bread that I thought ‘Hey, I’d like to learn how to do that’ – and that was that!”

What do you love about your business?

“It’s such a special feeling to be able to cook food that I love and grew up with – and be able to share that with so many people. Our retail line features spices and sauces that frequented dinner plates when I was growing up. Private dining menus reflect favorites from India – things that my friends and I eat to date when I go back.”

What’s the most interesting thing to happen to your business?

“Definitely being featured by Cambro for Business of the Week 😉. Second to that, is that we’d started out November 2019 as a catering/private dining company and within a month after lockdown I’d managed to set up our retail line, including branding, packaging, etc.”

What is the biggest challenge you’ve had to overcome?

“My biggest challenge was definitely the Covid-19 lockdown and restrictions, but it was also a learning experience and taught me to be more flexible and open minded to new avenues.”

Which Cambro products help make your business work?

“ALL of them! I’ve worked at so many places and it’s almost like an industry standard to have Cambros everywhere. They are durable and have a really long lifespan. At The Indian Pantry, we use the CamSquares a lot; they’re perfect for storing spices and simmering sauces. The GoBoxes are perfect for private dining events and transporting cold mis en place. Recently, I started using the Crocks and they’re so versatile and perfect for stacking in a crowded kitchen.”