Glorious flavours emerge from Shivani’s Kitchen
Shivani Dhamija arrived in Canada in August 2011, and says every day since has been a roller coaster ride: challenging adapting to a new culture, but at the same time an exciting journey.
Arriving alone in London, Ontario as a student—her first time abroad—she was engulfed by a new culture, an unfamiliar language, and many uncertainties. In addition to those challenges she desperately missed her family and the food of her home country. Knowing that if she wanted the comfort of those foods, she would have to learn to prepare them herself, she would make a call home to her mom ask for her recipes and then started trying her hand at perfecting the flavours that she grew up with.
When Shivani moved to Halifax she discovered that there was not a substantial East Indian community, and the loneliness that she had felt in Ontario intensified. It took several years to adjust to life here: she used to carry paneer (Indian cheese) in her suitcase from Toronto because she couldn’t find it in her new home city. In the 10 years since her arrival, a vibrant East Indian community has grown in Halifax: today there are some 20 Indian stores and 40 Indian restaurants in the municipality.
Shivani’s inspiration and passion for food came from both her mother and her aunt. Growing up she watched her mom, who she says is an exceptional salesperson, go door to door and market handmade clothing. The way she handled her customers and consumers is the way that Shivani likes to operate her business.
When Shivani arrived in Halifax, she had a degree in public relations but could not find work in her field. Not being one to sit idle, she worked at various jobs including as a McDonald’s cashier, and as a front desk person at the Canada Games Centre. While working at the centre she was approached by a friend of Indian origin who mentioned that she had an acquaintance who was missing Indian food. He was a trucker and was looking for food to take on to the road with him. Shivani volunteered to make those meals and he became her first client. She decided to advertise her business on Facebook, and the response was tremendous. To complement her meal sales, she began to offer cooking lessons, which she continues today.
In 2015, Shivani felt that farmers markets could be the perfect venue for her products, and today those spices and sauces can be found at various farm markets across Atlantic Canada.
It’s been seven short years since Shivani started her business, Shivani’s Kitchen, with a subsidiary that she calls the Spice Queen. Shivani’s Kitchen produces a line of ready to use sauces, such as korma, butter chicken, tikka and curry. Shivani says they do not add salt or preservatives to their products, and her products are made using the authentic spices and other ingredients that her mom used in her meal preparation.
For those who like to cook from scratch, the Spice Queen line can be found across Atlantic Canada. Shivani’s garam masala, curry, butter chicken spice and other blends ensure that every home cook can achieve the authentic flavours of Indian cuisine. All spices are free from fillers like garlic or salt and are gluten free.
In 2020 Shivani took one of her largest steps forward when she opened a food plant in The Station Food Hub, located in Newport Station in West Hants, NS. The space allows her and her team to keep up with the demand for their spices and sauces.
While Shivani has achieved great success, she has also faced challenges, many of which she has overcome. She credits her ability to learn from her mistakes to her dad. He used to tell her that there were three kinds of people; those who see rocks in front of them and change their direction to be safe; those who stumble on the rocks but get up and learn; and those who stumble on the rocks every time but never learn. Shivani believes that she is the second and why she has become a successful entrepreneur.
Immensely proud of her success, Shivani is not content to sit still, her goal is to spread her products across North America over the next two years.
Shivani puts tremendous effort into helping other entrepreneurs get their start. She especially finds helping women and immigrant entrepreneurs rewarding, because she knows personally of the struggles that they have and will face.
When I asked Shivani if there was anything that she would have done differently, she was very quick to answer. “If I had done things differently, I would never have learned what I have.”
Hungry to try something new? Shivani’s products can be found at www.shavoniskitchen.ca well as Foodland, Sobeys, Atlantic Superstore, Independent grocers all across Atlantic Canada as well as on Amazon.