Regular customers of this Indian stall in Commonwealth will have to find their favourite dishes elsewhere when it closes at the end of this month.
Mrs Vasanthi Sutharsan, 61, has been running The Best Indian Food at Commonwealth Crescent Market and Food Centre with her husband and two daughters for eight years.
But she is suffering from high blood pressure and other health complications. She nearly fainted recently while cooking.
Her husband Sutharsan, who has been battling diabetes for years and had his leg amputated recently, now requires full-time care.
So daughters Chandralega and Durgadevi decided it was best to close the stall and focus on the well-being of their parents. They are now looking to hire a helper to aid in the caregiving responsibilities.
Mrs Vasanthi, who has been in the food industry for more than 25 years, wakes up at 3am every day to prepare the batter for thosai and vadai, and grind the chutneys.
At 5am, she makes her way to the stall across from the flat to start frying vadais and prepping for the day. By 7am, residents gather at the stall to grab fresh thosai and vadai.
“We have customers coming not just from Commonwealth but also from Bukit Batok and even Woodlands,” she said.
“The customers, especially Chinese and Indian immigrants, love my food as it gives them the comfort of home-cooked food.”
Mrs Vasanthi came to Singapore from Thiruvarur – a town in Tamil Nadu – when she was 22 years old, after getting married to Mr Sutharsan. She taught herself to cook and started to work in food stalls as a dishwasher.
Her passion for cooking and serving people home-cooked food, coupled with the encouragement and support from her family, motivated her to open her own stall at Telok Blangah Heights Wet Market and Food Centre.
She then moved to Stirling Road for about 11 years before moving to Commonwealth Crescent.
Mrs Vasanthi named the stall The Best Indian Food after she received raving reviews from her customers. The food gets sold out by 3pm and Mrs Vasanthi goes home to prepare for the next day. She closes the stall only for Deepavali and the cleaning of the food centre, and would miss even important family functions.
Mrs Vasanthi said her daughters, since they were much younger, played a crucial role in shaping the stall and its menu. Older daughter Chandralega even taught herself how to make roti prata.
“The stall had a part in making us who we are today. It was our bread and butter, giving us a better life,” said Ms Chandralega, 26, who works as a nurse at National University Hospital.
“It is heartbreaking to have to let it go but it’s time for my mother, who has done so much for us, to take a break and do what she wants instead of worrying about us.”
Ms Chandralega remembers fondly the times the family cooked together during rush hour, Tamil music playing in the background.
Security supervisor Durgadevi, 25, said her family always treated the customers like fellow family members. “Our customers recognise Chandralega and me as thosai shop aunty’s children,” she said.
“Everywhere we go, we would meet fans of my mother’s cooking, and it is heartwarming to see people love her food as much as we do.”
“My father helps to clean and cut the vegetables for the day,” said Ms Chandralega. “We adore the relationship between our parents. He encourages her and also buys food for his friends from the stall. We have witnessed their loving support for each other over the years.”
Mrs Vasanthi is nervous about the future but she looks forward to spending time with her husband and travelling to Malaysia for the first time. The family will be moving to Bukit Batok by the end of the year. Mrs Vasanthi also wants to adopt a dog.
“I used to leave money for my children on the dining table before going to the stall,” she said. “Even when they started working, I continued to do so. It will feel odd to discontinue this habit and accept money from them instead.”
The Best Indian Food stall will close on July 30 but it does not spell the end. Mrs Vasanthi thinks she might reopen a stall after some years of rest.
