‘Do you know how to roll a roti?’ is a question that Ms Miglani asks every young student who walks through her door, often looking for their first break into an often tough job market.
If the student says yes, that’s all that takes to melt the heart of the 65-year-old grandmother behind ‘Delhi Rocks’ an Indian eatery that has two branches, one in Preston in the north and the other on Swanston Street in the heart of Melbourne. 
Her restaurants currently employ at least 35 students, who work in the kitchen serving meals to over 500 people every day.
Prem Lata Miglani is also known as 'Aunti ji'. Source: SBS
“We serve Indian home-cooked meals at a reasonable price and that I believe is our biggest strength that keeps people walking in through our doors with God’s grace'," she says.
Lovingly called ‘Aunty Ji’ by her crew and customers, Ms Miglani says she had always fostered culinary dreams but never thought she’d be setting up a restaurant, thousands of miles away from her home in Karnal, a city in the northern Indian state of Haryana.
It was her son, Dushyant, who convinced her to establish a restaurant while she came to visit him from India, nearly 10 years ago.
For her, the biggest draw was not the money, but the fact that the restaurant would allow her to bring the “feeling of home” closer for new arrivals to the country who often miss their home and the warmth of their mothers.
“I wanted to give them that feeling because my own son came to Melbourne as a student and I know what it takes to make ends meet here in Australia," she says.
“So, everyone who comes to our restaurant for food or for a job or simply to talk about their ongoing struggles, I listen to their problems as their mother would and we try to find a solution together,” said the restaurateur.
An Indian student working in the kitchen. Source: SBS
“We have had many detractors in the past who have criticised us in public for doing what we do, some even objecting to our working and hiring practices.
“But we have gradually learned to take such reviews and criticism in our stride,” Ms Miglani adds.
‘I never say no’
She added that in situations where she cannot offer a student a job in the restaurant, she often trains them in the kitchen free of cost, to make them “job-ready.”
“There have been times when we had no place for more staffers, in that case, we also trained students who came to us, looking for a job. I don’t believe in saying no, but I do believe in finding a way out for those in need.” 
Rajinder Joshan, a regular patron of ‘Aunty Ji’s restaurant said the place has “raised and elevated” the lives of many Indian students.
A group of Indian students who work at Ms Miglani's restaurant. Source: Supplied
“I have been eating at her restaurant since my days as a student in Melbourne. Every time I would miss home, I’d stop by Aunty Ji’s to have hot rotis straight off the stove, just like I would, while I was home in India.” 
He added that her journey is an inspiring story that needs to be told.
Rajinder Joshan with Prem Lata Miglani at SBS Studios, Melbourne. Source: SBS
“When I learned about Aunty Ji, her culinary skills and all that she does for students, I was left impressed and felt her story needs to be shared with everyone. We all need to learn a thing or two from her,” said Mr Joshan.
