20 JUNE 10, 2021 RIDGEWOOD TIMES WWW.QNS.COM
Two Rego Park ‘food-preneurs’ share their homemade
BY TAMMY SCILEPPI
EDITORIAL@QNS.COM
@QNS
That old-school adage – “The way
to a man’s heart is through his
stomach” – can, of course, apply
to anyone who appreciates delicious,
wholesome chow whipped up with a
heft y dollop of love.
That sentiment was shared by so
many New Yorkers during the pandemic
who’ve been craving satisfying
comfort eats. Remember all those videos
featuring banana bread recipes?
During those long, trying months,
two hard-working, Rego Park-based
food-preneurs, Nupur Arora, a New
Delhi native who launched Queens
Curry Kitchen, and Lisa Costa, who
re-discovered her patisserie skills
with her Peace, Love & Dough bakery,
knew that the best way to their
beloved community’s “heart” was
through their quarantined neighbors’
stomachs.
So, they decided to give back by
sharing a variety of hearty, home
cooked off erings. For these creative
foodies, it was truly a labor of love —
and doing what they enjoyed helped
them get through without going
crazy.
“I think that we were all looking for
comfort and love, to make that time
easier to deal with,” Arora told QNS.
Now, as COVID-19 begins to fade
and the “World’s Borough” comes
back to life, these small, homespun
businesses have continued to thrive,
becoming successful food services.
Orders keep pouring in from locals,
and people from other parts of New
York, who can’t get enough of Arora’s
authentic and soulful Indian vegan
dishes and Costa’s addictive artisanal
breads and other freshly baked goods
cooked in her cozy, fragrant kitchen.
Everything is prepared, packed
and delivered with cleanliness and
safety as a priority.
Both business owners were eager
to share their gastro stories with QNS
readers.
Arora’s meal delivery activity started
around May in the middle of the
lockdown last year, when a concerned
son from Long Island contacted her
to make food for his elderly parents
who live in her neighborhood.
“I asked him where he got my number
and he referred back to one of his
friends from Columbia University,
who used to buy Indian food from me
when I was doing it as a hobby about
5 years ago,” Arora said. “When I
told him of my husband’s Manhattan
restaurant (Mughlai Indian Cuisine)
being closed due to the lockdown, he
insisted that he would much rather
have me make it in my homethan in
our restaurant. His 82-year-oldfather,
a rabbi from India, had just had surgery
and his mother was taking care
of him. They were getting some food
from the synagogue, but it was not to
Nupur Arora (left) and Lisa Costa (right) are two food-preneurs based in Rego Park.
Photo courtesy of QCK/viewfi nderphotography and Lisa Costa
their liking.”
So, Arora started taking food
to them weekly, and because the
rabbi and his wife loved it, it became
a ritual.
During that time, she started making
and posting daily videos from her
home kitchen just to share what she
was cooking with limited pantry supplies.
Some friends put in requests
for her meals, which she happily
delivered. Then, more friends shared
photos on social media and raved
about her dishes, while others also
asked to sample some, as they were
too busy to cook and working from
home.
They craved healthy, plant-based
Indian dishes but didn’t necessarily
know how to make them.
“Our short, physically-distancedfood
drop-off s becameour onlyhuman
interaction. I was a new emptynester
who was alone at home all
day long, and sharing a smile and
conversations gave us all something
to look forward to,” Arora remembered.
“My community and steadily
growing tribe of clients fi lled the
void for me and continue to do so, as
I don’tknow when I will see my family
in India again.”
Queens Curry Kitchen recently
donated all sales proceeds to help her
COVID-ravaged homeland.
Arora talked about some family
favorites that she’s been making for
clients from her husband’s restaurant
kitchen, as she needed a commercial
space when her business expanded.
“My daughter loves a good Rajma
Masala kidney bean curry, as well
as my Tex Mex and Indian style Thai
dishes that I make regularly. My
husband loves homemade delicacies,
like Kadhi Pakora onion and potato
fritters dumplings made in a tangy
yogurt curry,” she noted.
Queens Curry Kitchen’s menu
changes weekly and it’s set up “exactly
like a mother would cook for her
family, so that they do not get bored
of eating the same old things.”
Arora noted some of her popular
dishes include her veggie wraps (Veg
Seekh kabab/paneer tikka), tomato
soup, Tofu in Tom Yum Sauce, Pani
Puri and Aloo Tikki are very popular.
She also gets compliments in the
weeks she includes free Halwa, Poori,
Chana — an off ering made for their
observance of Navratri, mother goddess
holy days, Arora explained.
“Little personal touches as this remind
them of festivities and celebrations
back home, which we all miss in
our life here,” she said.
Customers can order a full week
of meals (6 dishes, 2 rice and 12 rotis)
for $80, or a half week (3 dishes, 1 rice
and 6 rotis) for $45. The menu goes
out on Fridaysand orders must be
placed through the Shopify store by
Sunday, for a guaranteed Tuesday
delivery.
With a bit of help, Arora makes
the food on Tuesday morning then
it’s packed and labeled, and then she
delivers it herself.
“I’m the chef, the planner, the delivery
guy! Imagine if Seamless, Uber
Eats and Door Dash had a business
with an Indian twist — it would be
me,” she said.
The multi-talented Fashion Institute
of Technology-graduate wears
many hats. She used to have a boho
jewelry and clothing business for
many years before venturing into
food.
Arora also runs a radio program
production company, creating
Corn ceviche in wonton cups QCK/viewfi nderphotography
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