“Some stories are always worth sharing.”

In February 2024, I had the pleasure of meeting Meena akka (akka means sister in Tamil / Telugu) during a visit to some beautiful natural rejuvenation retreat. We had a great time exploring these places, and I learned so much about her incredible journey. She is an amazing cook, having run a Girls paying guest accommodation, restaurant and supplied food to an college in Andhra Pradesh a few years back with her husband. Sadly, she lost her husband during the COVID-19 pandemic, which was truly disheartening. Despite this immense loss, she continues to shine with her culinary skills.

Currently, she co-runs Simhapuri (The Taste of Nellore) Restaurant near Whitefield and lives with her daughter, who works in an IT company. She is a proud mother who has raised her daughter well and seen her get married to super support gentleman. However, there is a part of her that misses her husband, who was her great companion in personal life and all her business ventures. They ran a PG for women and a restaurant that supplied food to engineering colleges and other establishments in Andra Pradesh.

Co-incidentally, we were planning AWS Community Day Bengaluru 2024 at the Amazon office, Bagmane tech park. We knew we needed a caterer who could provide breakfast, lunch, and high tea for over 600 attendees, including 20 speakers and volunteers. Meena akka’s culinary skills combined with compassion sparkled as a perfect candidate to me.

I had 3 more friends at the retreat: Sailaja, who is also a chef (running sailaws kitchen), Hari Priya and another Saila akka. 3 of them joined us to help prepare the menu. The one bottleneck was the language barrier between Meena akka and me. She speaks only Telugu, and while I can understand Telugu, I can’t keep up when she speaks very quickly. Thankfully, my friends were there to help bridge the gap. We worked together to finalize the menu and laid out the prices.

The SHE power behind the menu!!

I took this back to the AWS Community Day Bengaluru organizing team, who were working on the food arrangements. They were really amazed by the menu and price but wondering about the new and unfamiliar caterer. Their concerns are valid indeed.

That reminds me of famous meme from Tamil Movie

"Namaku soru than mukkiyam ⚡️" (நமக்கு சோறு தான் முக்கியம்)
translates to "Food is important to us" in English 😂.

And here is Ramya Natesan's mind voice to me, Vivek and Ayyanar 😉.. (Pun intended)

Visit to Simhapuri Restaurant

On Feb 17th 2024, during the AWS re:Invent recap, I suggested that instead of just going by my recommendation, we should taste the food and then decide. A group of almost 10 of us visited Simhapuri (The Taste of Nellore) Restaurant. Meena akka served us a delicious spread of vegetable biryani, chicken biryani, paneer gravy, curd rice, and an amazing tomato pickle. She hosted us like a family, with her daughter, son-in-law, and niece all helping out. We ate to our heart’s content and were super happy with the taste and presentation.
Impressed by the quality and taste, we decided to go ahead with her as our caterer.

This decision was unconventional, as we chose a mid-sized restaurant over a fancy star-rated one, but resassured that nothing can beat the authentic Andhra food. The organizing team at Amazon was supportive, helping with all the logistics to ensure a smooth process.
My language barrier with Meena akka continued but video calls with actions and google translation (English to Telugu) saved me 😊. Thanks to Meena akka's daughter, Vijeitha and our friend Ayyanar helped at other times. Jones & Vivek Raja have been pillar of support all through this execution.

On the day of the event, Meena akka exceeded our expectations. She provided more side dishes than promised, adding a special touch to the breakfast with Idli, Kesari and Pongal. A good spread of delicious lunch with chicken biriyani, vegetable biriyani, chapatti, paneer curry, curd rice, tomato chutney etc. Her dedication and passion shone through, making the event a resounding success.
One unforgettable moment was when she ensured that everyone at the conference, from security to housekeeping staff, was invited to enjoy the food. She even brought 100 extra boxes to pack any leftover food so that people could take it home and share it with their families. This thoughtful gesture truly stood out and made the event even more special. You might have attended numerous tech events, returning home with valuable insights and fantastic swag. However, for the first time ever, many of our attendees left with packed meals from this wonderful mother😊. She was indeed perceived as an avatar of Annapoorneshwari (Goddess of nourishment).

A lesser-known fact is that Meena akka had a fall a couple of weeks before the event and was advised to rest. Despite this, she made every effort to be at the forefront and honor her commitment. You could even see her wearing a back support belt during the event. Appreciate her daughter and entire family standing by her.

This journey has been a testament to the power of collaboration and the impact of passion and resilience. Meena akka’s story is one of strength and dedication, and her culinary skills brought a unique flavor to AWS Community Day 2024.

Lessons Learned:
• Identify the right talent and give them the opportunity.
• Provide a platform for people to exhibit their innate skills.
• Meena akka’s primary skills are a true testament to her power and potential.

Let’s help someone (re)build their brand. You will always have a story to tell.

I’m confident this is just the beginning for her, and this experience will be a stepping stone to further reshape her career. Personally, its yet another story for me to reiterate,

"When women support each other incredible things happen"
and thats doubled when I had super supportive men in my team.

A Big Thank you from all of us, Meena akka!

During the vote of thanks, we called her to the stage to pay our respect and gratitude on behalf of the entire audience. The response from the audience was overwhelmingly positive, with applause and cheers echoing throughout the venue.

A small memento to her on behalf of AWS Community Day 2024
(well, I had given her this soon after lunch)

Meena akka with her family

Review for Simhapuri Restaurant
Ramya Natesan

The taste of Banglore conference is still in my tongue.. awesome cooking.

Vivek Raja P S

The food satisfied our hunger, and Meena Akka's warm smile filled our hearts. From our very first conversation to the final wrap-up, we never had to worry about the food—it was flawlessly managed and executed by her.

Ganesh Samarthyam

The food in AWS Community Day Bengaluru 2024 for exceptionally good - lipsmacking Biriyani was a big hit and we loved it!

Ashapurna Mukerjee

Warm hospitality and culinary delights came together to make our day truly special

Ayyanar Jeyakrishnan

At AWS Community Day Bengaluru 2024, Meena akka's culinary expertise transformed the event into a memorable feast. Her authentic Andhra flavors left a lasting impression, and her kind gesture of providing attendees with food parcels to share with their families added a special touch, spreading joy beyond the event itself.

You can find Simhapuri (The Taste of Nellore) Restaurant in your Swiggy or Zomatto!!

Inspiration #Resilience #CulinaryJourney #AWSCommunityDay #SimhapuriRestaurant #LifeStories