There’s something quietly powerful about a story that begins with nothing more than a mother’s instinct to feed people well. In Patna, a 65-year-old woman named Devni Devi has spent the last two decades proving that age, background, or a lack of formal business training don’t have to stand in the way of building something big. She started out simply, cooking home-style meals for a medical student struggling with poor hostel food, and charging just Rs 20 a plate.There was no grand plan behind it, just good food made with care. Over the years, word spread, more students and workers started showing up, and what began as a small tiffin service slowly turned into “Amma Kitchen,” a full-fledged food business now valued at around Rs 2.5 crore.Her journey was not easy and came with its own set of ups and downs, but she stood strong with determination and continued working with a firm belief in herself.
Meet the 65-year-old Devni Devi, the owner of ‘Amma Kitchen’ who began selling a plate at just Rs.20
Devni Devi’s story starts long before Amma Kitchen existed. Married at 16, she spent years cooking for a joint family of 25 people, through which she gained experience that quietly trained her for large-scale cooking without her ever realising it, according to a report by The Logical Indian.Life took her to Patna in 2002, when she moved there for her children’s education. With more free time on her hands once her family headed out for the day, she happened to notice the poor quality of food in a medical student’s lunchbox, a student studying at Patna Medical College and Hospital (PMCH). That one glance was enough to convince her she could do better.She began cooking simple, home-style meals and selling them for Rs 20 a plate. Her first customer was a medical student named Saurabh, who became something of a guide, helping her understand how a mess or tiffin service actually operates. Word spread quickly among PMCH students, and her small kitchen soon had a steady stream of regulars.ID@undefined Caption not available.
The business wasn’t universally welcomed at home and had to undergo several hardships
According to Pune Pulse, her husband stopped speaking to her for six months, unhappy that she had started working outside the house. Still, she did not give up. As her earnings grew, she saved Rs 80,000 and bought eight rickshaws to create additional income. In 2009, she opened the Samriddhi Girls Hostel, named after her granddaughter, with many of her regular tiffin customers becoming her first hostel residents, according to ETV Bharat.Then COVID-19 hit, and everything nearly fell apart. Hostels shut down, income dried up, and the future looked uncertain. But Devni Devi refused to stop cooking, continuing to deliver tiffins to doctors’ hostels through the crisis. “The doctors only told me to continue serving food,” she recalled, according to ETV Bharat. When she herself contracted COVID-19, the same students she had fed for years stepped in to care for her at PMCH.
The turning point that took her business to another level
The real turning point came in 2022, when her son suggested taking the business online. That decision gave birth to the digital version of Amma Kitchen, and orders soon soared. Two dine-in outlets followed, with meals priced between Rs 100 and Rs 300. The business increased quickly, now employing more than 30 people at a minimum monthly salary of Rs 15,000.Her elder son Jaishankar, who was once skeptical of her plans, eventually left his own job to help manage the growing business. “I am proud of my mother, who has become an inspiration for many,” he said, according to The Logical Indian.Today, Amma Kitchen stands as one of Patna’s most loved names for home-style food, built entirely on a homemaker’s instinct, patience through years of doubt, and a refusal to quit even when things looked bleakest.
