TUESDAY, MAY 14, 2024
Myola joanes
BENAULIM: Entering Estela Correia’s kitchen in Benaulim, the delightful scent of freshly baked bebinca permeates the air, while the melodious strains of Konkani music set the ambiance – watching her work while swaying and singing along to the music is a treat. At 52, Estela is not just a part-time baker; she also single-handedly manages her bustling catering kitchen while taking care of her two sons and an ailing husband.
Born and raised in Vasco, Estela’s early years were marked by financial struggles. She assisted her mother in making and selling choris, but the earnings were insufficient, prompting her mother to seek work in the Gulf. “With my mother gone, we couldn’t manage both school and the business, so we had to give it up,” Estela recalls.
After completing her nursing course, Estela ventured to the Gulf to work and support her family. After several stints abroad, she settled into married life in Benaulim, where she and her husband Cirilo Rodrigues raised two boys. However, adversity struck in 2019 when Cirilo was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin’s brain cancer, coinciding with the onset of the Covid-19
pandemic.
Left with no means to support her family, Estela turned to her culinary talents. Encouraged by her niece, Jolina Fernandes, she dusted off a cherished old bebinca recipe and embarked on a journey of home baking. Word of her delectable creations spread, and orders for more elaborate celebratory feasts and assorted snack hampers began pouring in. Now, Estela manages every aspect of her business single-handedly, from sourcing the finest ingredients to meticulously prepping and cooking each delicacy.
Her day begins at 6 am, with food prep followed by Mass, and ends past midnight, ensuring her freshly baked treats are packed and ready for her
customers.
Despite the challenges she faces, Estela tackles them with a smile, though she acknowledges the hurdles of unpaid bills and the struggle to maintain quality amidst rising costs. “Yes, there are many hurdles. Sometimes, clients come to pick up the food and promise to pay later, but the payment never comes. I do not have the time to sit and mope, however, so I take these in my stride,” she says.
Estela is renowned throughout Benaulim for her freshly baked bebinca, as well as her tantalising chicken, mutton, and prawn biryanis. Additionally, she offers desserts such as carrot cake, apple cake, banana cake, and rum cake. Complementing these delights are a variety of Goan snacks, including rissois, spring rolls, chutney and ribbon sandwiches, croquettes, and her beloved invention ‘Chicken on Wheel’ – a circular bread sandwich filled with chicken and deep-fried to crispy perfection. Estela caters to a wide range of events, from intimate gatherings like house parties and birthdays to larger celebrations like weddings, providing nuptial snack boxes and litany and saibin snacks. Among her repertoire of Goan sweets are dodol, batk, pinagr, and doce.
In sharing her story, Estela hopes to inspire other women to pursue their passions with diligence and perseverance, no matter how humble their beginnings.
As she aptly puts it, “If they have the talent, they should stand up and work towards it, even if it means starting small. Success is possible with hard work and perseverance.”
