Chennai’s bagel café trans-forms gender taboo

Working with city-based PeriFerry, a social inclusion start-up that augments the livelihood of transgenders, Bagel Pot is seeking to set an example to other new-age restaurants in town by employing staff from the transgender community.

Transwoman Kotravai and transman Sanjeev are currently on board the initiative, which was founded by Renee, who has a background in social work. Coming under the banner of its parent company Attrai Vidhai, Bagel Pot was conceived from Renee’s strong desire to provide employment opportunities for sections of the marginalised workforce.

“We wanted the food to signify love and care – similar to how a mother’s cooking would taste. Our transgender staff have been exemplary in upholding our philosophies – despite facing challenging situations such as working in a modern set-up, meeting customers who speak English and so on. But, we encourage them to converse, respond in Tamil and back them up to be confident. The customers too have been very encouraging,” say Renee and team Bagel Pot.

Both Kotravai and Sanjeev share a passion for cooking, which has been tapped into by Renee, who has mentored and nurtured their skills – one bagel at a time. The café offers all natural dishes, with everything from their hand-rolled classic bagels to rose milk made from scratch.

Says Neelam Palrecha of PeriFerry, “We have been active for around a year now and have found transgenders employment in the hospitality and food sectors in Chennai mostly – but in future, hope to enter the IT sector as well. They are people who couldn’t find acceptance in their homes and are looking for opportunities to prove their skills. We help them, train them and ensure they go through a screening process before they work for a company. We hope others would find inspiration from Bagel Pot to help the community more.”