By Ashley Thompson and Cynthia Whitty

The Ashland Farmers Market (AFM) has a new food vendor for its 2021 season: Sethji’s Indian and Vegetarian Meals-To-Go, owned and operated by Divya Raghavan Molloy.

Sethji’s Indian and Vegetarian Meals-To-Go offers complete vegetarian south Indian meals. The meals are based on a traditional Indian way of eating called a “Thali.” Unlike typical American meals that have a main protein, a starch, and vegetables, Thali is a meal consisting of many different dishes on one plate. The meals are based on Molloy’s traditional family recipes that have been passed down through generations. The meals take into account the Ayurveda principles of “whole-body” healing, and the flavors are a delicious balance of sweet, sour, heat, and salt.

Malloy grew up in Bangalore, India, and came to Massachusetts to get her MBA degree. She worked as an engineer for companies like Yahoo! and ESPN. Two months after graduation in 2016 her daughter was born, and Molloy decided to start her own business, Sethji’s Indian and Vegetarian Meals-To-Go, to spend more time at home. Molloy’s husband, Seth, encouraged her to make the change, pointing out her passion for cooking and how she would wake up in the morning and began cooking every day. The business is named after him [Sethji].

“I started off wanting to do a mid-week dinner for families and individuals,” Molloy explained. “You’ve run out of groceries, you’re working really hard, you don’t have time to make your meals. I have that covered for you.” 

Molloy offers a variety of meals with something new on the menu every week. There are options for gluten-free and dairy-free diets as well.

In addition to AFM on Saturdays, Molloy offers meals Wednesdays through Fridays to customers who order online at www.sethjis.com and pick up at 26 Park St., Medfield. Molloy also offers six-week meal subscriptions; details can be found on her website.

AFM runs every Saturday through October 9, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., at 125 Front St., across from the Ashland Public Library. For up-to-date vendor information and to sign up to receive a weekly email, visit AshlandFarmersMarket.org.

AFM Awards Scholarships

                                                         Rebecca DeBenedictis

                                                                 Steven Hyland

AFM congratulates its 2021 scholarship recipients, Rebecca DeBenedictis and Steven Hyland. Each recipient is receiving a $1,000 award. DeBenedictis has been a long-time AFM teen volunteer. She plans to attend Vanderbilt and study Human/Organizational Development, with a focus on Community Leadership and Development. Hyland has also been an AFM volunteer. He plans to attend Framingham State University and study Environmental Studies and Sustainability.