Landslide in Wayanad: Restaurant suspends operations to cook free food for landslide survivors

Restaurant staff at Sultan Bathery in Wayanad prepare food for the survivors of Tuesday’s landslide.

Feeding the landslide survivors, rescue workers and media persons covering the disaster on fateful Tuesday turned out to be the priority of those at ‘Sanchari by Chef Pillai’, a soon-to-be-launched restaurant at Sultan Bathery in Wayanad.

Management even suspended regular operations and converted the canteen into a large kitchen dedicated to feeding the hungry and those who survived the disaster.

A restaurant in Sultan Bathery in Wayanad has suspended operations to cook free food for landslide survivors

“As soon as the news of the disaster came in, the restaurant staff started cooking food for the survivors. The first shipment was sent at 11:00 a.m. The food packages, which contained food, snacks and drinking water, were sent between 4:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. 1,600 food packages were delivered daily,” said the chef, the state and other parts of the Pillai restaurant chain, which has set up Pillai restaurants across the country.

The restaurant, which opened a few weeks ago, has been converted into a place to cook for the survivors of the disaster. In addition to the Sultan Bathery outlet’s 80-member team, other workers and chefs from other restaurants were called in to help those in need. The restaurant will continue to provide food and water for the needy for several more days, he said.

Earlier, Mr Pillai’s social media post announcing the humanitarian aid had gone viral. A large number of people volunteered to help the initiative by offering grain, food and clothing. Several others have signed up to sponsor the meal, while some others have expressed willingness to transfer money to support the initiative. However, no external help was taken for the drive and the expenses were borne by the group itself, Mr. Pillai said.

Help at the restaurant was coordinated by a three-member team, general manager Nobin Thomas, chef Sreekanth Nambiar and Aneesh Nayaranan, who owns the establishment, he said.

Mr Thomas said he had received about 200 calls offering support. A large number of vehicle owners, including jeep drivers, volunteered to bring food to the starving. Another two were also inundated with calls offering to help. One of the callers, the owner of a cucumber production unit, offered to give cucumbers to be delivered along with the food parcels, Mr Thomas said.

“Reaching the hungry and stranded is the biggest challenge before us. We will continue to supply food for at least a few more days,” Mr. Pillai said.

Published – 30 Jul 2024 23:07 IST