"Opening a food business has always been a lifetime goal"
A teenager has opened a vegetarian and vegan takeaway after rejecting university.
Nineteen-year-old Charanjot Singh opened V Shack on June 2, 2022.
Charanjot decided to start the takeaway due to the lack of options that he has experienced for vegans and vegetarians at fast-food outlets.
He explained: “Having a vegetarian lifestyle has been a struggle for me when I go out and eat at restaurants because there is only a scarce number of dishes available when I go out to eat.
“I have always had to struggle because I am limited with what I have to eat.”
Charanjot has followed a vegetarian diet his entire life.
He continued: “Opening a food business has always been a lifetime goal for me.
“The interest sparked in me when I was 10 years old when I started to enjoy cooking with family members.
“I have been working on this project for about a year now so I finished my A-Levels last May and since then I have been working on this project every single day.
“I have always added a new idea every single day.
“I went through the process of attending university open days and stuff but it has never been an interest for me to go to university.
“I went through the entire process just in case and if I ever choose to go to university, there is always an option there but in my mind, I have always had that passion for making a vegan and vegetarian takeaway.”
Charanjot stated that his friends have supported him throughout.
He told Derby Telegraph: “They have told me that they are going to come to the opening and come as often as they can because they live in this area in Littleover and Heatherton.
“They are really intrigued that I have gone down this route because it is not the normal route for many teenagers or people who have just finished their A-Levels.
“I also have a really supportive family and they have seen my vision and seen my potential in creating this business and they have all offered full support.”
Charanjot’s takeaway is located on Tutbury Avenue on the Highfields estate in Littleover.
On his decision for the location, Charanjot said:
“I chose this estate because it is a new estate, a clean and fresh slate to start everything.”
“People who come here are young couples and they are wanting to have a new taste of food and are intrigued to have new flavours in their diet.
“It is a new fusion of foods that I am introducing to this area.”
V Shack’s menu offers a variety of meat-free options including veggie burgers, paneer, soya burgers, soya chicken, halloumi and Beyond Meat dishes.
The takeaway hopes to offer as many dishes as possible from pizza and burgers to curries and kebabs.
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