Rahul Prem at his pizza outlet in Panampilly Nagar, Kochi
The journey of Rahul Prem (25), founder of The London Neapolitan Pizzeria in Kochi, took a similar turn. He moved to England’s capital in 2023 for a postgraduate degree in Business with Entrepreneurship at a university there. A hotel management graduate from Institute of Hotel Management in Bengaluru, Girish Mathai (44) spent two years under an Italian chef in Dubai and another one-and-a-half years aboard a US-based cruise ship. When Mathai decided to bring pizza to Kottayam in 2009, the concept was new to the town. Now, 17 years on, he has three outlets in the state. The number of books the café houses has gone up from 2,500 to nearly 7,000. To attract a wider audience, the couple introduced board games, which are now close to 700. We opened two more restaurants, in Qatar in 2022 and Dubai in 2024. Low barrier to entry & operations Does not require formal professional degree or complex technical licences, unlike IT, healthcare, manufacturing or heavy trade ——— Offers a daily cash-and-carry business with no long credit cycles or invoice delays, unlike construction, supply chains or agriculture ——— Items like fried chicken, Arabian meats and modern snacks yield high profit margins per unit compared to basic grocery or general retail ——————————- Growing agro-food MSMEs 2017-18 2,553 2018-19 2,712 2019-20 2,582 2020-21 3,359 2021-22 4,297 (Source: Govt of Kerala data) —————————- Primary drivers Overseas work experience & culinary exposure ——– Rising local demand for int’l street food & convenient ready-to-cook options ———————-
Beef was introduced mostly by colonial rulers, which has now become a staple food.
“I’ve a visa until next year, but I had the confidence to set up a shop here,” said Prem. Considering that Kochi is a coastal city, I decided to start a fish-and-chips outlet, on the lines of those commonly seen abroad,” said Titus. “Starting such a niche restaurant is always a challenge, but public response surpassed my expectations,” he said. “It helps me get a lot of customers, who’ve returned from abroad or are still there,” Prem said. “Within a year I had to expand the space,” Mathai said. Enriching food culture “We wanted to create a place where people could sit together, communicate and spend time, rather than just have coffee and leave,” he said. Jayakumar said the café broke even in the first month and has since evolved into a space for musical and community events. “We struggled for seven months but managed to stay afloat through delivery platforms,” said Sahal, who co-owns the restaurant chain with his friend Mohammed Shamseer. We plan to open another in Kerala,” he said. “We’ve been experimenting to make Arabic dishes more suited to local palates,” Nazar said, adding that charcoal-grilled meat dishes are often perceived as a lighter alternative to heavily fried preparations. Food historian Tanya Abraham, who authored Eating with History: Ancient Trade-Influenced Cuisines of Kerala, said the increasing exposure of young Keralites to different countries was influencing the food landscape back home. This influence of migration, as in other industries, is reflecting in the state,” she said. Abraham said centuries of migration and trade have made an influence but not every foreign cuisine becomes a part of Kerala’s long-term food culture. “Kerala parotta is said to have come from Sri Lanka. The question is how much people will embrace a particular cuisine,” she said. “What we see is that many new restaurants offering novel cuisines become a trend for a short period and fail to last long,” said Kerala Hotel & Restaurant Association Ernakulam district secretary K T Ibrahim.
A part-time job at a prominent pizzeria landed him the job of a junior chef at a hotel. The stints shaped his understanding of Italian cuisine — and, eventually, his ambition to bring that knowledge home. Titus, Prem and Mathai are among a growing number of Keralites returning home with skills, savings and culinary influences from abroad after studying or working there. They are introducing niche food concepts to Kerala . industry representatives say others struggle once novelty wears off While some ventures find an enthusiastic audience. “When I came back, I thought of starting something unique. Prem imports Italian flour and sticks to the methods he learned in London to maintain the authenticity of his pizzas. He began modestly, with a small dining space. But the response was swift and word-of-mouth publicity did the rest. Arabian cuisine has been a game changer. A drive through any major town in Malabar offers a glimpse into Kerala’s growing taste for that — shawarma stalls, mandi restaurants and other Middle Eastern eateries serving everything from Yemeni and Lebanese dishes to pan-Arabic fusion. Impact of Covid Sahal believes Covid eventually changed people’s relationship with food and dining. “There was a shift in perspective towards eating out and spending on food post-pandemic. This led to a boom. Abdul Nazar K of Malappuram, who left Saudi Arabia for good to continue his wedding photography career in Kerala, was among those who noticed the change. Through the lens, he saw the changing food preferences at Malayali weddings, where Arabian dishes became a regular alongside traditional biriyani and local delicacies. The experience prompted him to start Grill Lounge, an Arabic food joint in Malappuram. The restaurant industry remains cautious. He agrees that Arabian cuisine has gained considerable popularity in recent years but adds the traditional Kerala food continues to dominate the market. WHY DO RETURNEES ENTER FOOD BUSINESS?
“Earlier, we were very narrowed down to Indian cuisines, but with more travel and the internet, people are more aware of various cuisines.
Beta Jayakumar (43) came back to Thiruvananthapuram after living in Abu Dhabi for a decade and spent six months looking for an IT job before starting a business. In 2018, Jayakumar and his Filipino wife Jessa opened Eve’s Coffee at Pettah, recreating neighbourhood tea-shop culture in a modern setting. Sahal R K of Perambra counted exactly on that when he opened a large mandi restaurant in Kozhikode after working for 15 years in Qatar in the telecom industry. His Bab Al Mandi was opened on March 4, 2020, just 10 days before Covid lockdown brought hospitality industry to a standstill. Ancient records indicate that traders from 31 countries across Europe, Asia and the Far East engaged in spice trade with the state. Trade between China and Keralam flourished from around 1125 CE to 1498 CE, leaving culinary traces that survive in everyday life. ————– Emigrants | District-wise (2023) T’puram 1,07,917 Kollam 1,95,815 Pathanamthitta 1,01,624 Alappuzha 1,34,116 Kottayam 1,43,824 Idukki 25,304 Ernakulam 1,86,956 Thrissur 2,33,177 Palakkad 1,24,277 Malappuram 3,77,647 Kozhikode 1,93,697 Wayanad 32,341 Kannur 2,12,208 Kasaragod 85,372 Total 21,54,275 ——————— Challenges faced by eateries Despite the increase in number of eateries in the state over the years, the restaurant industry faces several challenges including high cost of labour, increase in prices of food ingredients & food adulteration ——– Dependence on farmers from outside Keralam for vegetables and grains ——- Instances of food poisoning in some eateries lead to deterioration of trust towards food outlets ——- Challenges for direct sourcing of imported spices, sauces, and specialized equipment from respective nations abroad ———————– Economic impact Boosts local employment ———- Diversifies the regional food ecosystem, and recirculates NRI capital into domestic small and medium enterprises You Can Also Check: Gold Rate in Kochi | Silver Rate in Kochi | Bank Holidays in Kochi | Public Holidays in Kochi Stay updated with the latest Kochi news.
He brought with him a taste for fish and chips , a British staple, and introduced it in Kochi when he founded Martins Harbour. Noel Titus left for Toronto years ago to study hospitality management and hotel operations but decided to become a chef. He started off as a dishwasher and worked as an assistant chef before donning chef’s whites. He served at a restaurant in the Canadian capital for seven years and mastered local flavours prior to returning home two years ago. The returnees are bringing not just cuisines but also food cultures from across the world. Culinary exchanges through history From spice trade to global kitchens, Keralam’s food culture has evolved through centuries of cross-cultural exchange. Download the TOI App.