After getting laid off due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Newmarket resident Vaishnavi Patel said she was depressed and wanted to find something to occupy herself.
“I had always been working, I can’t just sit at home doing nothing,” Patel said.
She started making samosas for neighbours on weekends as a hobby in September 2020, and when they came around asking for more, the hobby slowly expanded, eventually blossoming into a home-based business.
Now, the neighbourhood “samosa master” is marking a soft launch this week of a commercial kitchen at 130 Davis Dr., unit 7B, offering her signature dish and more.
“It was my husband who believed in me,” Patel said of what drove her to seek out a business space. “He told me that 'You see the demand is there. There is nobody in the town selling samosas at all, and people love it.'”
Patel first learned to cook from her mother in India, she said. When she arrived in Canada in 2016 as a student, she drew on that experience, and began cooking for herself — still relying on her mother's advice and recipes.
“I used to sit beside her, ask so many questions,” Patel said. “I would just call my mom and ask her for the recipes.”
Those recipes became the foundation for her home-based business. As word spread of her dishes, she started a promoting it on social media, naming her business after the Samosa Master moniker her neighbours had given her. She bought inventory and appliances to meet the rising demand.
Her husband, Chintan Dudakiya, said the lines for his wive's samosas became long.
“You felt like a Tim Hortons drive-thru, especially in the morning."
They sought a commercial space for several months, though did not want to open in too big a space. After visiting several businesses, they found a partner in Panchratna Supermarket, a grocery store that will open in the future. Their commercial kitchen has been set up at the back of the store, giving customers a takeout option.
Patel is getting helping hands from her family. Dudakiya quit a civil engineering job to help the business launch, working with an architect to design the space. Her father, Shainesh Patel, has come from India for several months to help the restaurant and put curry on the menu.
“He has seen me struggling,” Patel said. “He wanted to be there, just to help me emotionally, physically and mentally.”
She said she has formed connections with all her customers, and they, in turn, have helped her business expand. She said they come from all over the surrounding area.
“I had a personal attachment with all of my customers. When they come and pick up the food from my home, I would spend five to seven minutes talking to them. I know each and every customer by their name,” she said.
Their established customer base has also been congratulating the launch.
“This is absolutely fabulous,” one customer said of the launch. “I am incredibly happy for you and know this will be a huge success.”
“They inspire us,” Dudakiya said. "A lot of love and kindness."
The family is now scaling up their menu and adding to their space. There is no set date for a grand opening, but they are still able to offer diners the samosas they seek.
“They are so generous and kind,” Patel said of her customers. “They appreciate our efforts. That’s the biggest thing.”
