Pizza with a desi touch

When Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi mentioned Jasuben Pizza Centre in his address at a FICCI event on Monday, for people outside Gujarat it might have sounded like an enterpreneural adventure.

But for local Amdavadis, it is a venture that they have been familiar with for sometime now.
For years it has been a favourite food joint for non-resident Gujaratis travelling back home for a break. Some 40 years ago a pizza was given a Gujarati touch by an Ahmedabad resident, Jasuben, by adding a dash of sugar and jaggery to satisfy local tastebuds.

The story dates back to the late 70s when some Gujaratis ousted from Uganda had set up some pizza outlets in a select pockets of Ahmedabad. Jasuben had spotted these outelts and realised the penchant for pizzas among Gujaratis. It was then she decided to experiment with the receipe and bring in her own brand of pizzas also known as Bakri shak pizza in Ahmedabad.

Starting with a small outlet in the Law garden area of the city, Jasuben Pizza now dishes out from six outlets in Ahmedabad, three of them being run by employees trained and recruited by Jasuben herself and the remaining let out as franchise.

Jasuben along with her family shifted to Pune in early 90s but her business partner Jorubhai carried on with the monitoring of these outlets. The pizzas are sold at a price of Rs 50 and on an average about 600 pizzas are sold in the city alone.

“We have ensured that the quality as left byJasuben is retained and thats why our clintele are dedicated,” says outlet manager Deosinh. He hopes endorsement by the Gujarat chief minister will only add to the popularity .