Urmila Jamnadas Asher

Some Lesser Known Facts About Urmila Jamnadas Asher

• Urmila Jamnadas Asher grew up in a wealthy Gujarati family in Mumbai.

• She loved cooking since childhood and often cooked at other people’s homes when they asked her to.

• Urmila was 7 when she was invited to cook in London, where she lived for two years. Her food was so loved that she later travelled to countries like Portugal and Dubai. She continued travelling for around 10 years because of her cooking.

• She got married at the age of 18 and had three children by the time she was 23.

  

• Urmila lost all three of her children in different incidents. Her 2.5-year-old daughter died after falling from a building, her elder son died of a brain tumour, and her younger son died of heart failure.

• In 2018, Urmila’s grandson Harsh had an accident in which he lost his upper lip, part of his tongue, and had to get 22 screws in his jaw.

• During the COVID-19 pandemic, Harsh’s business failed. So, to start over, he came up with the idea of launching a new business with Urmila.

• Urmila started a home-based cloud kitchen during the pandemic, cooking in bulk and selling food across 10 residential societies in Mumbai. With the help of her grandson, she promoted the business on Instagram and delivered orders every evening.

  

• Urmila soon started getting a good response and the orders kept increasing. She later added more items like pickles and Gujarati snacks to the menu. Over time, it turned into a small business named ‘Gujju Ben Na Nasta.’

  

• Urmila’s snacks were not the only hit. Her pickles also became hugely popular. In just two days, she received a 50kg order, and within 25 days, she had delivered nearly 450kg.

• In 2020, Asher started a YouTube channel named ‘Gujju Ben na Nasta,’ where she began sharing recipe videos.

  

• She later opened an outlet in Mumbai with the name ‘Gujju Ben Na Nasta.’

  

• In 2022, Urmila and Harsh spoke at TEDx AIIMSPatna.

  

• She was invited as the Chief Guest of Honour at various events including the 2023 Women Micropreneur Awards and an event organised by the Sri Shanmukhananda Fine Arts & Sangeetha Sabha in Mumbai.

  

• In 2023, she appeared as a contestant in the reality show ‘MasterChef India 7,’ which aired on Sony Entertainment Television.

  

• Urmila was an avid traveller and often shared her travel experiences on social media. She loved visiting religious places and had travelled to places like Vishram Ghat in Mathura, Uttar Pradesh, and Shrinathji Temple in Nathdwara, Rajasthan.

  

• In April 2025, Urmila passed away due to a heart attack. She was a diabetic and had suffered two heart attacks earlier.