Sisters Dea and Ojasvi, along with their mother Hema Sharma, are transforming mundane meals into exciting culinary experiences.
In 2022, they started Chilzo, a Mumbai-based startup to bring authentic tastes and flavours from all across the world to Indian kitchens.
Whether it’s the fiery red harissa from Moroccan kitchens, China’s zesty chilli oil, or Italy’s delectable arrabbiata pasta sauce.
It was while craving global flavours amid the pandemic that the trio started experimenting with sauces at home.
“Sauces are one of the easiest ways to bring the taste of the world on a platter. Because of my escapades in the US, I knew the authentic tastes of recipes and helped my sister to create one,” says Dea, who worked with a marketing firm in Philadelphia.
“India is really catching up in terms of adopting the food and flavours of other countries. But there was a void in how Indian businesses were offering authentic foreign flavours,” she adds.
So, the trio ensures that everything is cooked using authentic methods as adopted in the respective countries.
For instance, an Italian chef would cook tomatoes for eight hours, crush them, mix tomatoes with herbs, and use extra virgin olive oil to cook it slowly, simmering the tomatoes until thick.
“That is exactly the approach we followed, and none of the Indian companies do that. Unlike them, we do not add water and sugar,” she says.
With the growing demand for authentic flavours from other countries, the trio caters to around 7,000 customers a month — mostly from Delhi, Mumbai, and southern parts of the country.