For many Malayalis, some of the sweetest childhood memories are tied to the kitchen, the aroma of banana chips frying in hot oil and the excitement of sneaking a piece straight from the pan before they are ready. For those who move away from the state, it is often these simple moments that they miss the most. It was the same feeling that led 35-year-old Reshma Suresh, who left her hometown in Ernakulam to pursue higher studies in Mumbai, to launch Tocco, a food platform that connects home chefs and community kitchens in rural India with people seeking their comfort food.

This initiative found resonance with the Kerala government and even spurred a new budget proposal. Finance Minister K N Balagopal announced in the budget that the project will be replicated across the state. Reshma told Onmanorama that she was driven by multiple objectives while launching the plan.

"I relied on takeout food for years after moving to Mumbai. I deeply missed the meals and snacks I grew up eating," Reshma said. "Not just that, but mass-manufactured food often contributes to lifestyle diseases. Hence, bridging these two gaps, I wanted to build a platform where people could access products that are made at home." Reshma's first home chef was her mother. "I onboarded my mother to Tocco. She is still working for us," Reshma said. Her sister Annu, who is currently settled in Singapore, helped with ideation and strategy.

Gradually, Reshma began reaching out to senior citizens across India who enjoy cooking but may not know how to market or sell their products. "Today, Tocco works with home chefs in Kerala, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra, along with four community kitchens across the country. The kitchens prepare regional specialities using locally available ingredients," she said.

"The home chefs and community kitchen members are mostly above the age of 50, and that is intentional," Reshma said. "Younger people have many career options, but many seniors are intimidated by technology. We want to empower them and help them earn.”

One such kitchen operates at Ezhukone in Kottarakara, Kollam, with support from the Kerala Startup Mission. The unit employs several women in their 50s and 60s. Shuba (52), a resident of Ezhukone and a member of a local Kudumbashree unit, said she joined the initiative after attending a meeting of entrepreneurs organised by Finance Minister K N Minister Balagopal.

"During the meeting, Reshma shared samples of chips produced through Tocco and explained the idea behind the platform," Shuba said. Shuba and three other women, Lathika (52), Raji (54) and Rekha (33), later travelled to Ernakulam for training, where they learned everything from cleaning jackfruit to frying and packaging chips.

Today, the women operate the production unit from a workspace near Shuba's home. "My husband, who was a sub-inspector of police, passed away due to cancer. My children study away from home; hence, the 2000 sq ft I live in is bare, and the work area adjacent to it is used for Tocco," she said. "Within three months, we successfully ran our unit and earned a significant income from it. We enjoyed the process very much. The model shows how homemakers can earn a living while staying at home," she said. "After finishing our household responsibilities, this gives us something meaningful to do. Although our speciality is jackfruit chips, we have also made cashew and tapioca chips. Our next goal is to expand the initiative and include at least 40 women in the project," Shubha said.

In Attappadi, Tocco partnered with social activist Suma Preman after an official connected the team. The initiative now provides women in the region with an additional source of income. "These kitchens allow women to work close to their homes," Reshma said. "Many of them have studied only up to Class 10 or Plus Two, but all they need is a passion for cooking. We provide training and handle logistics."

All the products, including banana, jackfruit and tapioca chips, premium cashews, sambar powder and chutney, are made in small batches using raw materials sourced directly from farmers. "We do not use contract manufacturing. Everything is handmade," she said. Production is also closely linked to regional crops. Banana chips, for instance, are produced in Attappadi, while Kollam, known for its cashew cultivation, supplies the premium varieties of cashews used in the products. "This is the beauty of Kerala," Reshma said. "Different regions are known for different crops, and we want to celebrate that diversity."

For many of the platform's home chefs, the initiative has brought both income and purpose. Sixty-year-old Lakshmi Mohan from Kozhikode now prepares around 8 kg of chutney powder, rasam and sambar powder from her kitchen. She says she enjoys the work because cooking has always been part of her life. “I love cooking. It gives me a great deal of satisfaction. I used to cook for my family, including preparing sadhya for up to 25 people -- and for my children's friends when they visited," Lakshmi said.

"When Reshma approached me, she said I was already cooking for others, so why not turn it into a small business? At this age, earning something on my own feels nice. “I don’t have to depend on my husband anymore. I now buy gifts for my husband and grandchildren with my own money.” She added that the work also helped her cope with personal loss after her daughter recently passed away. "Being part of this initiative helped me come out of a difficult phase," she said.

"Food is deeply connected to memory and identity. If we can bring a little taste of home to someone living far away, that itself is meaningful," Reshma said.