Ahar Limited recognised 123 women who completed its 12-week Ahar Standard training programme and launched two mobile applications at Ahar HomeChef Day 2026 to connect customers with home chefs and help chefs manage and expand their businesses.
The announcements came at Ahar HomeChef Day 2026, held at a resort in Keraniganj, Dhaka, on Thursday (22 October), according to the press release. The event invited home chefs, guests and media representatives.
The initiative aims to turn cooking skills, often part of women's unpaid household work, into opportunities for income, professional recognition and entrepreneurship.
The gathering celebrated the home chefs' achievements and highlighted how structured training and digital access can support the growth of home-based food businesses.
Alongside certificates, participants received individual verification badges following quality assessments, personalised aprons bearing their names and awards across several categories.
Mahmuda Habiba, chairperson of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on the Ministry of Primary and Mass Education and an MP from a reserved women's seat, attended as the chief guest.
Master chefs Tony Khan and Zahedi joined as special guests and shared perspectives from the culinary industry.
Mahmuda Habiba highlighted the economic significance of small, home-based businesses and the often-overlooked contributions of women who balance household responsibilities with efforts to earn an income.
"Your initiatives may be small today, but their potential can be much greater. Do not underestimate what you can achieve," she said.
She encouraged the home chefs to look beyond their immediate markets and prepare to introduce Bangladeshi cuisine to international audiences.
Mahmuda also stressed the importance of recognising women's informal labour and integrating it more meaningfully into the formal economy. She said initiatives such as Ahar could help women achieve financial independence and gain greater recognition for their work.
"Women's work and contributions deserve proper recognition. When women are allowed to turn their skills into businesses, they can strengthen their families as well as the country's economy," she added.
Mohammad Rahmatuzzaman Rumman, managing director and CEO of Ahar Limited, said the platform provided a structured pathway for home chefs to turn culinary skills into income-generating businesses.
"Joining Ahar is not simply a matter of signing up. Home chefs have to complete a 12-week training programme, participate in group work and presentations, submit assignments and pass assessments before qualifying to sell through our platform," he said.
He explained that the selection process extended beyond classroom training. Successful participants must complete trial orders and a further trial period before being fully onboarded.
The Ahar Standard programme covers food preparation, kitchen management, food safety, hygiene, e-commerce, marketing and financial management.
By combining culinary training with business skills, the programme aims to prepare participants to operate and grow their own food businesses.
The company said more than 50 trained home chefs had already started working with the platform.
According to Rumman, some home chefs working with Ahar earn between Tk1 lakh and Tk1.5 lakh a month, demonstrating the income potential of home-based food businesses.
Ahar said food safety and quality assurance were central to its operations. Its quality control team assesses kitchen conditions and hygiene practices during verification to check whether food preparation meets the platform's required standards.
The verification badges identify chefs who have completed this additional assessment.