No cooking at home, meals prepared in one kitchen. Gujarat village’s unique food tradition is bringing people together through shared laughter, conversations, and community spirit

Imagine a place where no one cooks food in their homes. Every meal is prepared in one kitchen and the dishes are served at one community hall. Your local friends and neighbours gather in the spot and relish delicious traditional items while having a good banter, be it sharing personal anecdotes, laughing over a funny incident, or even sharing each other’s worries. If this sounds like a far-fetched idea happening in the imaginary world, then you are highly mistaken. Gujarat’s Chandanki is one such village where the residents follow a similar practice.

Gujarat village’s unique food tradition

According to a report by the Times of India, the unusual culinary ritual started when several residents from Chandanki, especially the younger generation, started moving out of the village to cities for work, leaving a large number of the elderly population lonely. That’s when the village head, Poonambhai Patel, came up with the innovative idea.


Poonambhai Patel, who spent nearly 2 decades in New York City, left his home in Ahmedabad and returned to Chandanki, putting his efforts into the community-driven venture. As per The Better India, there is one central kitchen in the entire village where traditional Gujarati food is prepared every day by hired cooks.

All about central kitchen and community hall

The villagers are required to pay a fee of Rs 2000 per person every month, after which they are provided with 2 nutritious meals. Meanwhile, the cook charges Rs 11,000 per month. Everyone gathers inside an air-conditioned hall, operated by solar power systems and the dining area transforms into a space where individuals share their stories, joys and even disappointments or worries, making them feel less isolated.



Although the initiative was initially met with resistance, the villagers slowly embraced it when they realised how effective the move was, reported the Times of India. The kitchen has made it easier for the elderly to avoid cooking at home, giving them enough time to rest and relax while also forging deeper connections with their neighbours.