Maggi Kitchen Journey With Charmi Dave In Vadodara, Gujarat

You all might have read my previous post about Maggi Kitchen Journeys with Rita Shinde in Goa. Maggi Kitchen Journeys is a unique initiative where they are celebrating women who took to cooking and food to empower themselves. Cooking has the power to make a big difference in our lives is what Maggi believes. On 15th September 2018, the Maggi team invited me and few bloggers from Mumbai and Pune to Vadodara, Gujarat. Here we got to meet yet another inspiring women – Charmi Dave.

It was my first time in Gujarat. Gujarati people are wonderful and so is Charmi. When we arrived at her café, she welcomed us with a sweet smile. I was impressed since the moment I entered café Maggevala. The café that we went to, was one of her first establishments. It is located in Fatehgunj in Vadodara and is a quaint and cosy place but this is the place that laid the foundation for her big success. At Maggevala, you will find different varieties of recipes made with Maggi– right from the simple Maggi noodles, she also has dishes like Maggi on toast and Maggi Pizza. Believe me, it also has Maggi Lasagne and Maggi biryani on the menu.

About Charmi Dave:
Charmi is a young brave enterprenuer who fought for her passion for food and cooking. She was demotivated a lot for trying to do something in her own way. When life gave her all the reasons to give up, this young lady in her late twenties ensured that nothing came in her way.

Charmi’s journey was not a smooth one. She had to pay a price for starting Maggevala. She is not just a woman with a successful business, she is a fighter who fought for herself. She was already married when she had started Maggevala. Initially her in-laws were very supportive. She was blessed with a baby but at the same time she had to spend about 14 hours at the café. She was unable to pay much attention to her toddler and to her new house and family. Slowly they all turned against her and also against the concept of women working after marriage.

Apart from this she had to face social stigma. Since her business was flourishing, there were some people who were jealous of her and they also tried to bring her business down. Her in laws wanted her to completely stop working. At one point of time, she gave up on Maggevala. She shifted 400 km away with her family and her mother continued to take care of her venture. Later her parents supported her in getting a divorce and brought her back to Vadodara.

Nothing can stop this lady now. She moved forward, fought against all odds and turned her passion into reality. Charmi is now happily remarried and has wonderful and supportive in laws too. Her venture Maggevala has two more outlets in Vadodara, one in Surat, and one in Rajkot and three in Chennai. The menu at Maggevala keeps getting updated with new recipes and customers love the innovative recipes that comes up on the menu.

About Maggevala:
The idea of Maggevala emerged when Charmi and her friend Khushi realised the need to have a café serving Maggi fusions in Vadodara. They decided to open it in the heart of Fatehgunj. This café offers scrumptious Maggi recipes. When Charmi started the café, she studied the other cafes in the area and gave a vintage theme to Maggevala. This separated Maggevala from other cafes located in the area.

Maggi noodles are enjoyed all over the country. The concept behind Maggevala was to give a delicious twist to this common food. In most homes, Maggi is cooked by following the basic recipe instructions on the packet. But at Maggevala, a professional Chef named Parth was hired specially to ensure minimum delivery time and consistent flavors. The taste and prices of the dishes are also consistent in all the outlets of Maggevala.

Charmi knew that running a café successfully needs patience and passion. She worked around a vintage theme with the first outlet which quickly differentiated them from other run-of-the-mill cafés and restaurants in the area. The vintage ambiance attracted the young crowd.

We tasted different varieties of Maggi recipes at Maggevala. I loved the Tandoori Maggi, chili garlic Maggi and Maggi Burfi and the best thing about Maggevala is its pocket friendly prices.

Women like Charmi makes the womenfolk feel the proud of their gender. She was in IT prior to starting Maggevala and hence faced lots of challenges because of not having appropriate experience in hospitality business. Food was her passion and hence she worked hard on it to become a successful entrepreneur. Her story inspired me to the core. My friends are literally pushing me to start something similar on my own. But I never had the guts to try it. But now after knowing Charmi’s journey, I feel inspired and motivated. I feel that one day, even I will start something big on my own 🙂

So to all of you who are reading this blog post… Maggevala is a story of innovation and persistence. It is a testament of how a girl’s dedication towards her dreams can make it to reality.

Let me share with you all, one recipe from the Maggevala menu – Tandoori Maggi. I cannot share the detailed recipe as it is Maggevala secret. I have attached a video to show you how this delicious Tandoori Maggi is being prepared at Maggevala.

Ingredients:
2 tablespoon oil
2 tablespoon garlic, minced
¼ red bell pepper, chopped
2 tablespoon tandoori paste (made from tomato and onion and spices)
¼ green bell pepper, chopped
¼ yellow bell pepper, chopped
1 packet Maggi Tastemaker
¼ onion, chopped
1 packet Maggi noodles

Instructions:
Heat a wok and add oil
Add minced garlic.
Then add the sauce and spices.
Add some vegetables. Toss it gently.
Add cooked Maggi noodles and mix well.
Garnish with chopped coriander leaves.

Recipe video recorded from the Maggevala kitchen.

I am sure you all are getting inspired by Charmi and her brainchild, Maggevala. Do share your thoughts in comments below and remember to catch Charmi’s story on Maggi Kitchen Journeys on the 29th of September, 6.30 PM on Zee TV.

Also read :

Maggi Noodles and a trip to Nestle R&D Manesar, Gurugram

Nescafe Plan – Beyond The Cup