By Alesha Capone
A family-run culinary business is donating meals to frontline health workers at Werribee Mercy Hospital and the Royal Melbourne Hospital.
Point Cook brothers Amit, Akash and Aseem Tuteja run the Indian restaurant Desi Dhaba in Tarneit, and another restaurant of the same name in Melbourne’s CBD.
Akash said that business at the Tarneit restaurant has dropped around 60 to 70 per cent, since coronavirus pandemic restrictions which only allow food outlets to offer takeaway and delivery, were rolled out across the state.
Despite this, Akash said that he and his siblings wanted to help out the community during the pandemic, particularly health workers.
Akash said he had contacted Werribee Mercy Hospital and offered to donate free meals to its employees.
Every couple of days, Akash – often assisted by his wife – delivers around 10 lunches to the hospital’s workers.
“We are just proud and happy we are able to do that, these guys are actually putting their lives on the line,” Akash said.
“We are very passionate about this.”
Akash said that the Mercy staff were always grateful for the deliveries of food.
“They are really, really thankful, sometimes I wish I could do more,” he said.
His brother Amit, who runs the Desi Dhaba city restaurant, is donating meals to Royal Melbourne Hospital staff.
“I’ve got staff I’m paying regardless, we thought we may as well do something to help out the hospitals,” Amit said.
He said their family was also in talks with Western Health, to hopefully arrange to deliver meals to staff at its hospitals.
Amit said Desi Dhaba customers were welcome to make a gold coin donation, to put towards the free meals for hospital workers.
