A bright future is ahead for a family-run Indian food van and catering business based in West Cumbria.
Dosa Chaska, owned by husband and wife duo Sachin Mishra and Shubha Sachin, has proven a hit with locals by serving up authentic Indian food at foodie events across West Cumbria.
Sachin and Shubha – along with their two daughters Aarshiya, 13, and Aadya, 11, – are now aiming to offer more and share their culture, cooking and wellness knowledge with the local community.
The family, who are originally from India and now live in Nethertown, first launched their business two years ago after dreaming of sharing healthy, flavourful and authentic Indian food with Cumbria.
Sachin said: “When we tried Indian food here we realised there is a concept of Indian food that has somehow been distorted. ‘Indian’ is more of a marketing word these days.
“The food that is being served is not truly authentic Indian so we thought we need to present to people what true Indian food means.
“So it all started with Egremont at the Christmas fair around two years back. Shubha called last minute and asked if we could offer Indian food and they said yes and it began there.”
The family serve a range of dosas – a thin, savoury crepe that can be served with a range of fillings – as well as curries, masala chai and Indian sweets and desserts.
They also are able to fully cater to those with dietary restrictions including those who are gluten-free and those who are vegetarian or vegan.
While the pair said they felt blessed to have received love for their food and support from the community – they also said they had faced some challenges too.
Sachin added: “One of the challenges we have faced is people not knowing what the dosa is. Sometimes it can be a question of if they want to choose to spend on it or go with their standard food instead.
“But once they’ve had one, that’s it, people have come from far to try it and we’ve had some really great feedback on Facebook and through reviews.”
Shubha added that it’s often a case of chatting with people to help them understand the food and what they have on offer and that they’re very happy for people to ask questions about the food on offer.
Dosa Chaska is part of the family’s wider vision to create an Indian food and culture hub that offers cultural experiences and activities through food, yoga, wellness, dance, arts and music.
It’s an idea that has stemmed from Shubha’s love for sharing new experiences and her role as an accomplished Indian classical dance teacher.
Sachin and Shubha said they are currently looking for a commercial kitchen and space to hold events so they can bring different experiences like cooking workshops, festival celebrations and activities to West Cumbria.
Shubha, who has spear-headed the business as a whole, said: “We created Dosa Chaska as part of the bigger vision of Indian Global Village a platform and space where people can experience the rich Indian culture through food, arts and wellbeing activities.
“We want to create a space where people can enjoy warmth and hospitality, which is the heart of the Indian culture, and take part in workshops to learn and grow together.”
Dosa Chaska’s food is also heavily connected with Ayurveda, the ancient Indian practice of linking food with wellness to balance the mind, body and spirit.
Shubha said: “The knowledge we have in India is very vast and I want to really bring specialist people or masters here that can contribute to this country. The way food connects with mind and body is amazing and it’s an education that everyone has to have.
“We know people suffer with mental health in West Cumbria and through this we want to help create a lively community.”
