The 43-year-old hospital canteen team that saved a wedding

How did food from a small hospital canteen in Kottayam end up on Mohanlal’s table in the middle of the Rajasthan desert?

For Juby Varghese, the answer goes back to a hospital canteen that his father started 43 years ago.

This is the story behind one of the food establishments featured in Onmanorama Food & Travel’s Served Since series.

At the Mandiram canteen in Kottayam, many customers walk in without having anything to do with the hospital. They come because they like the food.

Breakfast brings in regulars for dosa, masala dosa, palappam, idiyappam, puttu and porotta, served with vegetarian and non-vegetarian curries. Soft, flaky porotta is available from 9.30 am onwards, while the day’s special puttu can include ragi and wheat versions.

Where the story began
The canteen’s story goes back to 1983, when N M Varghese started working at the Mandiram Hospital canteen in Kottayam.

Before that, he had worked as the manager of the pay ward canteen at Kottayam Medical College from 1978 to 1983. At Mandiram, he treated the kitchen almost like his own. He kept an eye on the cooking, tasted the food and made sure the quality was maintained.

George Varghese, chairman of Mandiram Hospital, remembers the canteen as one of the first things people associate with the institution.

For him, it has been part of Mandiram since childhood.

“Acha served food to people as if they were all his family,” says Juby.

Over the years, patients, their families, hospital staff, students and people from the surrounding area became regular customers. Some families also rely on the canteen when they have guests at home, while groups from nearby churches have made Sunday breakfast at Mandiram a regular habit.

The food has become part of the routine of people who have little connection with the hospital itself.

Juby grew up working alongside his father. He says the two worked together at the canteen for more than 30 years, beginning when he was about 20.

Juby says people who visit the psychiatry department often come from faraway places such as Ranni, Pathanamthitta, Chittar and Kumily. Some stay at the hospital for weeks. If a patient or family member cannot afford the canteen bill, the amount may be noted down for later payment.

He remembers seeing his father draw two lines across credit entries when people said they would settle the amount during their next visit.

“It was only after Acha passed away that I realised how many people remembered such things,” Juby says.

He describes the canteen as a business, but says his father always considered that secondary to serving good food.

That philosophy has also shaped the family’s expansion.

Besides the Mandiram Hospital canteen, the family runs Fair Dine Caterers and operates canteens and hostel messes at various institutions. The group also has Mandiram Café at Manganam, with a wider menu featuring barbecue dishes, Hyderabadi biryani and fusion food.

The original canteen has expanded its menu too. Breakfast remains a major draw, while lunch brings Kerala meals and biryani. In the evening, customers can find fried rice, chilli chicken and other Indo-Chinese dishes.

From Kottayam to the Rajasthan desert
The family’s catering work eventually took them into the film industry.

Joju George’s 'Madhuram' was among the films that helped Juby enter film catering. The movie was shot in Kottayam, including at the Mandiram Hospital canteen, and the family supplied food for the production crew.

Since then, the team has catered for several Malayalam film productions.

One of its biggest assignments came with 'Malaikottai Vaaliban', which was filmed in Jaisalmer, Rajasthan, in 2024.

The team travelled from Kerala to provide food for Mohanlal and hundreds of crew members. They spent several months in Rajasthan, adapting their menu to the ingredients available locally.

When the caterer did not turn up
The family’s approach to food is also reflected in the way it handles unexpected situations.

Recently, Juby received an urgent call from a wedding in Kanjikuzhy after the original caterers failed to turn up. The team was already preparing food for more than 1,700 people that day. Still, Juby decided to take up the additional responsibility. His team arranged the ingredients, prepared biryani and sent the food to the wedding by 12.45 pm.

43 years and counting
After 43 years, Mandiram remains closely tied to the hospital where the story began.

Juby continues to visit the canteen regularly despite running several other food ventures and handling catering assignments. The family is also involved in canteens at educational institutions, hospitals and other establishments.

For the Mandiram Hospital community, the canteen has become part of the institution itself.

For customers, it remains a place to stop for breakfast, lunch, coffee or an evening snack.