Singaporean social entrepreneur Josephine Tan, 56, has brought more than just authentic Singaporean cuisine to Kolkata. In late December 2024, she opened iDelight Cafe, the city’s first dedicated Singaporean cafe in Hindustan Park, while continuing her long-standing social mission through Touch Nature, an organisation that provides employment and support to women rescued from trafficking and vulnerable communities.
The cafe employs eight staff members, including daughters of women from Kolkata’s red-light districts, creating alternative livelihood opportunities through hospitality training and dignified work. Speaking about her journey, Tan said she chose to remain in India because of the opportunity to serve those in need. Her venture has also received an enthusiastic response from customers, including former Singapore residents and students, who have praised its authentic flavours.
Beyond introducing Singaporean food to Kolkata, the cafe has become an extension of Tan’s broader commitment to supporting trafficked women and their children while preserving memories of her Singaporean roots.
A Cafe Serving Purpose Alongside Food
At first glance, iDelight Cafe appears to be a celebration of Singapore’s rich culinary heritage. The menu features dishes such as laksa, Hainanese chicken rice, kaya toast, mee siam, lo mai gai, fried and soup wantons, pandan cake and ondeh ondeh, with many ingredients prepared in-house. According to Tan, signature dishes including laksa, rendang and char siew chicken have become favourites among Kolkata diners without requiring modifications to suit local tastes.
The cafe itself reflects her connection to Singapore. Peranakan-inspired tiles, nostalgic murals and a painting of her late grandmother selling popiah from a roadside pushcart honour the woman who first introduced her to food and resilience. Recalling those memories, Tan said, “My grandma was a widow and sold popiah when I was young. I used to follow her in her tricycle.” She explained that the mural was designed as a tribute to her grandmother’s legacy and the values she inherited growing up.
However, the cafe’s social purpose extends beyond its menu. The 40-plus-seat establishment employs eight people, many of whom come from vulnerable backgrounds. Some are daughters of women living in red-light districts, and Tan believes employment offers them an opportunity to build independent futures. “The jobs have prevented them from walking down the slippery path of their mums. Instead, they gain new skills, training, dignity and livelihood,” she said. The business also complements Touch Nature’s existing work by creating employment while providing a welcoming retail space for the organisation’s handmade soaps and candles.
From Nepal To Kolkata: A Journey Shaped By Service
Tan did not originally move to India to become a restaurateur. Her social work began in Nepal in 1996, where she established several social enterprises aimed at creating employment for single mothers, including the soap-making initiative Touch Nature in 2001. After spending around 15 years there, political instability forced her and her husband, Raj, to leave following what she described as a Maoist attack on their factory by an armed mob attempting to extort money.
Rather than returning to Singapore, the couple relocated to Kolkata in 2012 after recognising the city’s role as a destination where many Nepali women had been trafficked. Tan said they restarted Touch Nature there with the specific aim of creating employment opportunities for survivors of trafficking. Despite experiencing violence and betrayal, she remained committed to her work. “I believed that I should move on to help those who were in need, and I should not stop loving them because of betrayals from some,” she said.
Over the years, Touch Nature has expanded beyond employment to include education support for children, safe accommodation, healthcare assistance and community outreach. Tan shared the story of a woman trafficked at the age of 13 who was later abandoned after suffering a stroke.
According to Tan, Touch Nature arranged emergency medical treatment, covered hospital expenses and eventually provided the woman with safe shelter, where she continues rebuilding her life. She also recalled supporting a child trafficked alongside her mother as an infant, later helping the mother secure stable employment so her daughter could grow up in a safer environment.
For Tan, opening iDelight Cafe represents another way of sustaining this mission. While introducing Singaporean cuisine to Kolkata, the business also creates jobs, generates income to support social initiatives and offers customers a space where hospitality and compassion coexist.
The Logical Indian’s Perspective
Josephine Tan’s journey demonstrates that businesses can be designed around purpose as much as profit. While iDelight Cafe introduces Kolkata to authentic Singaporean flavours, its deeper significance lies in creating opportunities for women and young people whose lives have been shaped by exploitation and exclusion.
Employment alone cannot solve the complex realities of human trafficking, but dignified work, supportive communities and sustained care can become powerful building blocks for long-term rehabilitation.
Josephine Tan’s story also reminds us that social impact often grows from everyday spaces, whether a cafe, workshop or neighbourhood business, where inclusion becomes part of daily life rather than an occasional act of charity. As more entrepreneurs look to build ventures with a social purpose, could businesses like iDelight inspire a future where every successful enterprise also creates opportunities for those most at risk of being left behind?
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