When Newmarket entrepreneur Aseem Raheja was in college, he said he found some inspiration in the foods around him.
After bringing in some “bland” pizza from the Georgian College cafeteria, Raheja said he and his roommates decided to spice it up using some leftover buttered chicken. The group started dipping the pizza into the chicken, promoting the joke that the pizza had been “masalafied’ — infused with an Indian spice.
“We tried it with pizza, we tried it with poutine, we tried it with burgers,” Rahea said. “From there, the idea of getting food masalafied came …. It’s an explosion of flavours.”
Raheja opened his restaurant Masalafied in Newmarket three months ago at Main Street South and Davis Drive. Running out of the Sticks Craft Brew Bar, the Indian fusion restaurant is offering a combination of Canadian comfort food with Indian flavours and spices.
The 23-year-old Raheja said those flavours are something he grew up with in India, with his father being a farmer. Raheja said he cooked regularly in his youth but wanted to come to Canada after seeing places like Toronto and Vancouver appear in films.
“It was mostly just because of how beautiful the city is,” he said. “I would see the City of Toronto, City of Vancouver, how the lifestyle is there. I was really amazed how people talk to each other, it was a very polite country … People here are that kind, they have helped me come this far and it seems like one of my dreams is coming true, just because the people of Newmarket and people of Canada support me.”
He came to Canada alone as an international student at age 18 to study business management. He came to live in Newmarket after doing his co-op here, and went on to do various odd jobs.
Fulfillment only came when he started a meal service, Raheja said. He met up with the owners of the Sticks Craft Brew Bar — who sought a new pop-up to pair with their beer — and showcased his skills.
“Food is a passion for me, and I also relate business with that because I have an entrepreneurial mindset,” he said. “I see a gap in the market.”
Sticks Craft Beer Bar owner Samantha Rickford said she provided a space for Raheja because of his drive.
“I was impressed by his passion for cooking and his age,” she said. “He (is) a really good chef.”
Raheja said versus working odd jobs, starting Masalafied has felt great. Relying on word-of-mouth, he said things have fared well in the opening months.
“I am really amazed how people react when they have the first bite,” he said. “
The young chef hopes to eventually be able to expand into his own solo store and expand to “get more and more people masalafied.”
“If you are not familiar with Indian food and masala curries, do give us a try,” he said. “We are pretty sure once you get masalafied, you won’t like anything else. You will always be missing the kick which we provide."
