FOKANA – The Goan Foood Truck

For Puja Narvekar, entrepreneurship began with a desire to create something of her own. Before becoming the founder of FOKANA – The Goan Foood Truck, Puja spent years working as a cabin crew member, an experience that introduced her to people from different backgrounds and taught her the importance of discipline, teamwork and attentive customer service. Today, those lessons continue to influence the way she approaches her food business.

FOKANA was conceived by Puja and her husband as a food concept that would bring together the familiarity of Goan cuisine and the excitement of flavours from elsewhere. Built around a food-truck-based café, the venture reflects their interest in creating something distinctive while remaining rooted in the culinary culture of Goa. With the support of her husband and father, Puja has taken the transition from aviation to entrepreneurship one step at a time, learning the many aspects of running a food business along the way.

From Aviation to Entrepreneurship

Moving from aviation into the food industry meant entering an entirely new environment. While her previous career had given Puja a strong foundation in hospitality and customer interaction, running FOKANA required her to understand everything from menu planning and ingredient procurement to costing, food preparation and daily operations.

The shift has been challenging but rewarding. Together with her husband, she has been involved in developing the concept and navigating the realities of building a food business from the ground up. Her father’s encouragement has also been an important source of support throughout the journey.

For Puja, the experience has reinforced the value of patience, consistency and being willing to learn. Her interest in exploring food, discovering different flavours and developing new ideas continues to shape the direction of FOKANA.

A Name with a Purpose

FOKANA stands for Food On Kart And Nutrition Al-together, a name chosen to reflect the concept’s distinctive identity. Rather than creating another conventional café, Puja and her husband wanted to establish a brand that could bring together familiar flavours and new combinations in an approachable format.

At the heart of that idea is Poie, a much-loved Goan bread that has been given an inventive makeover at FOKANA. By pairing it with fillings inspired by different cuisines, the brand creates a bridge between traditional Goan food culture and contemporary tastes.

Reimagining a Goan Favourite

Poie is an essential part of Goa’s food culture, and FOKANA uses it as the foundation for one of its most distinctive offerings. The menu features a selection of stuffed Poie that combines the familiar bread with a variety of flavours.

The Chicken Cafreal Poie brings a distinctly Goan character to the concept, while Chicken Manchurian, Lebanese Chicken, Moroccan Chicken and Peri Peri Chicken Poie introduce influences from different culinary traditions. Vegetarian diners can also choose from paneer-based options.

The approach allows customers to enjoy something familiar in an unexpected way. For those who prefer traditional flavours, Chicken Cafreal offers a connection to Goa’s culinary heritage, while the other varieties provide an opportunity to explore combinations beyond the usual.

The experimentation, however, does not stop with Poie. FOKANA’s menu also features recognisable Goan dishes such as Ross Omelette, Prawns Balchão and Chicken Xacuti, ensuring that the food concept remains firmly connected to its roots.

Goan Favourites and Contemporary Choices

The menu has been designed to cater to different tastes rather than follow a single culinary direction. Customers can choose between traditional Goan preparations, stuffed Poie, rice bowls and quick bites depending on what they are looking for.

Chicken and paneer rice bowls provide a more substantial option, while fries offer something simple to accompany a meal or snack. The beverage selection includes coffee, milkshakes and fizzy slush drinks, adding variety for customers who may simply want to stop by for a refreshing drink or a lighter bite.

This combination reflects the philosophy behind FOKANA: traditional food and new ideas can comfortably exist alongside each other. While one customer may arrive looking for the familiar taste of Chicken Xacuti, another may be more interested in trying a Moroccan or Lebanese-inspired Poie.

Freshly Prepared, With Quality in Mind

Freshness is an important part of FOKANA’s approach to food. Orders are prepared fresh rather than relying on frozen, ready-made meals, with attention given to ingredient selection and preparation.

The kitchen uses sunflower oil instead of palm oil, while food is cooked to order. Depending on the dish and the number of orders being handled, meals generally take around 15 to 20 minutes to prepare. For FOKANA, that waiting time is part of the process of serving food that has been freshly prepared.

Maintaining consistency is another priority. As a growing food business, the team continues to work on balancing experimentation with dependable preparation, ensuring that introducing new flavours does not compromise the quality of the overall offering.

Creating a Place to Pause

Beyond the menu, FOKANA aims to create a relaxed and welcoming experience. The food-truck café is intended to be a place where people can meet friends, spend time with family, enjoy a meal or simply stop for a quick bite and a drink.

Puja’s background in aviation continues to influence this aspect of the business. Her experience as cabin crew taught her that hospitality is often shaped by small details, from being welcoming to listening carefully to people’s needs. At FOKANA, customer feedback is viewed as an important part of the learning process.

As the business grows, Puja and her husband hope to continue refining the menu and understanding what their customers enjoy. The goal is not simply to attract first-time visitors, but to give them reasons to return and discover something different on each visit.

Building FOKANA One Step at a Time

Running a food-truck-based café has introduced Puja to challenges that are very different from those of aviation. Managing ingredients, costs, menus, preparation and customer expectations requires constant attention, while maintaining consistency becomes particularly important as the business develops.

Yet the challenges have also become opportunities to learn. Since FOKANA was created jointly by Puja and her husband, the journey has been one of shared ideas, decisions and experiences. Their approach is deliberately measured, with an emphasis on strengthening the brand before considering larger expansion.

For now, the focus remains on building a loyal customer base, improving the menu and establishing FOKANA as a recognisable food concept in Goa. The long-term ambition is to explore opportunities for growth while retaining the qualities that define the brand.

A Dream Built Together

FOKANA represents more than a change in career for Puja Narvekar. It is the result of a shared idea that she and her husband have gradually transformed into a working food concept. From aviation to entrepreneurship, her journey has involved stepping into unfamiliar territory, learning through experience and finding confidence in an idea worth pursuing.

With Goan flavours at its core, inventive stuffed Poie at the centre of its identity and a menu that welcomes experimentation, FOKANA seeks to offer something that is both familiar and different.

For Puja, the journey is still unfolding. Her hope is to continue learning, improving and developing FOKANA while encouraging other women to trust their ideas and take the first step towards building something of their own. At its heart, FOKANA is a dream being built together, one plate, one flavour and one customer at a time.