Fiza Hussain and Ferva Shahzeen are putting a new twist on tradition by selling Pakistani tea and snacks in Ottawa.
The sisters cook and package street food in their home kitchen and deliver it across the city. Their signature is “chai-cuterie”—a charcuterie box filled with vegan and vegetarian Pakistani treats.
They started selling food through Instagram in July after returning from a five-month family trip to Pakistan. Hussain said their food is inspired by Pakistani street food and colourful Pakistani clothing.
“When we came back we just realised that we really missed the street food and there isn’t much in Ottawa for Pakistani food, especially street food,” Hussain said.
They now offer a selection of chai-cuterie boxes through their website.
The sisters added that they had a hard time finding snack-sized vegetarian or vegan options in Ottawa, so they wanted to create a new Pakistani alternative. All of their products are vegetarian but can be made vegan, including the tea.
Shahzeen said their business is unique because the sisters make the food themselves.
“All the savoury food is handmade by us on the day of,” Shahzeen added. “It’s all prepared by us, all the batters, all of that. Everything else is fried by us as well.”
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Hussain added the business was named after the popular Bollywood romance, Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham. The rough English translation of the title is “sometimes happiness, sometimes sadness.” Khabi Chai Khabi Shai, translates to “sometimes tea, sometimes snacks.”
The sisters say they have felt significant support from the Ottawa small business community. Vegan bakery and coffee shop Little Jo Berry’s (LJB’s) hosted a pop-up event with Khabi Chai Khabi Shai on Sept. 18.
Josephine Masterson, owner of Little Jo Berry’s, said in an email that she heard about the sisters’ business when they visited her shop to buy snacks. When she saw their Instagram, she said she loved their aesthetic.
“We do a lot of pop ups at LJB’s and we try to always showcase new vegan friendly businesses so once we connected I knew they would be a good fit,” Masterson wrote in an emailed statement.
According to the sisters, other Pakistani community members have compared their food to their mother’s cooking, but with modern and aesthetically pleasing twists. Pakora waffles and iced Kashmiri chai are examples of this.
“To make [iced chai] even prettier, we added the edible flowers in the ice cubes, just to make the whole thing aesthetic,” Shahzeen said.
“Their food is amazing and unlike anything else on the market,” Masterson added. ”They cook from their memories and experiences and you can tell how much love and work goes into the product.”
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The sisters’ next pop-up event is scheduled with the centretown tea house, the Vanitea Room, on Oct. 29.
The all-day “season of chai” pop-up will feature Halloween-inspired brunch treats, while staying authentic to the pink floral theme of their brand.
Also on the menu are numerous new fusions of Pakistani and Canadian culture, such as ice cream and jalebi—a sweet crunchy Pakistani dessert— to appeal to a wider crowd who might be unfamiliar with Pakistani cuisine.
They said they hope to collaborate with as many local businesses as possible and continue to share their food with Ottawans.
“We don’t actually know where this is going because it’s so early but there are possible hopes of going to the Ottawa Farmers’ Market,” Hussain said.
Photo provided.
