A family legacy

Gufran Gafoor deserves brownie points for his honesty when we ask him what sets his biryani apart from others. "Ab yeh toh haath ki baat hai. Sabka alag alag hota hai," he tells us, explaining how an "unnees-bees" in even the amount of salt can determine the fate of a certain batch. The 50-year-old's father, Abdul, set up Mohammed Gufran Abdul Gafoor Caterers 35 years ago. The family is one of the few such caterers in Mumbai whose origins lie in the city. Abdul used to be a mill worker for 13 years before he started this business, which his son took over. "People knew my father in the area, and as I used to work with him since I was a child, they were acquainted with me when I started managing the business full-time," Gafoor says, explaining how word-of-mouth helped his catering business become one of the most notable in the foodie hub of Mohammad Ali Road. He adds, however, that he sources most of his ingredients from the wholesale market in Navi Mumbai, which is quite a distance to cover for someone based in SoBo's Madanpura. But it goes to show the dedication with which the son is carrying his father's labour of love forward.