#ImmigrationMatters in Edmonton, Alberta - Serving Edmonton’s seniors

#ImmigrationMatters in
Edmonton, Alberta

How Edmonton’s Heart to Home Meals owners, both from India, help seniors and other vulnerable people.

Serving Edmonton’s seniors

October 9, 2018

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Roshni Bahl meets with potential clients

Chetan and Roshni Bahl, the married co-owners of Edmonton’s Heart to Home Meals food delivery franchise, grew up learning that it was important to feed people and look after seniors properly. Now they are earning a living and living their values as they care for some of Edmonton’s most vulnerable residents.

“Growing up in India, we were taught the importance of cooking, eating and taking care of family, especially seniors”, says Roshni. “So bringing this service to the seniors of Edmonton really aligns with our core values”.

That ingrained sense of responsibility became the Bahls’ bridge to financial success in Canada. Processing orders and delivering meals are the central activities of their business, but their genuine interest in their customers’ lives is what helps them stand out.

They’re great listeners, and their staff are friendly and kind.

John Morgenstern

Pat Moyens, whose elderly mother receives meals from Heart to Home Meals, says the company has impressed her with its employees’ concern for their customers’ welfare. “They don’t hesitate to come in and put the stuff away for her, and that means a lot to someone who is not agile”, says Pat.

Another customer, John Morgenstern, an 83-year-old veteran and diabetic who has lost a leg, is a regular and says he has appreciated the Bahls’ efforts to get to know him. “They’re great listeners, and their staff are friendly and kind”, he says.

My father put aside his life savings so I could pursue higher education overseas.

Roshni Bahl

The Bahls are also resourceful. One day, on the job, Chetan saved a client’s life. He heard a thump come from the client’s apartment, but the client didn’t answer the door. That seemed odd, so Chetan called the building manager, who opened the door. It turned out the man was having a heart attack. They called 911, and paramedics arrived quickly.

Launching the business took courage and determination, but the Bahls have delivered. Their franchise has grown 170% year over year, since it opened in July 2016.

Roshni is thrilled to see her efforts paying off.

“My father put aside his life savings so I could pursue higher education overseas”, she says. “When I left India, he said, ‘Go and make me proud’. Now, I can say that I did”.

Helping families celebrate

In May 2018, when Chetan Bahl realized that Thora White, the elderly woman whose meals he had been delivering, was about to turn 100 years old, he thought a celebration was in order. He reached out to White’s daughter, Pat Moyens, and offered to help plan a party.

The Bahls and Heart to Home Meals provided flowers, a card and a cake that served 60 people.

“It was like they were part of the family”, says Moyens. “That’s how warm and welcoming they are. They gave big hugs and congratulated my mother”. The family cherishes their memories from that day and continues to recommend Heart to Home Meals.

Immigration profile: Edmonton, Alberta (Census Metropolitan Area)

Quick facts:

Immigrants make up 24% of Edmonton’s population.
Between 1980 and 2016, 54% of all immigrants who came to Edmonton were economic immigrants, while 29% were sponsored by family and 17% were refugees.
Throughout the country, immigrants make up 53% of business owners with paid staff in the food and beverage sector. Read more about what immigration does for our country.