Seema Dalvi opened her first Dalvi’s restaurant in Poulton between lockdowns in 2020 and launched a second, in the centre of Lytham in November 2022.
Sampling what passes for Indian food in many British restaurants was something of a shock to the system for Seema Dalvi. She had grown up in Mumbai and learned traditional recipes passed down from her grandmother, mother and mother-in-law.
Now, the former maths teacher is on a mission to educate others about the flavours and variety of food from her homeland – and things are adding up nicely.
After leaving her teaching post in 2017, she launched a personal chef business, creating and delivering bespoke meals across the Fylde coast.
She opened her first Dalvi’s restaurant in Poulton between lockdowns in 2020 and launched a second, in the centre of Lytham, last November.
‘Teaching wasn’t what I really wanted to do, it’s not me,’ she says. ‘I had always wanted to be a chef and although things have been tough, I am loving what I am doing. Food brings people together and doing that gives me a lot of pleasure, making people’s evenings truly delicious is what it’s all about.
‘Eating Indian food in this country was a culture shock, it’s not what we eat in India. We wanted to introduce people to proper Indian food. We don’t say our food is authentic because what is authentic? There are so many regional variations in India.
‘‘We have some fusion dishes, too – Indo Chinese and crème brulee with masala chai, Spanish, Japanese and French dishes. We take street food from all over the world and give it our twist.’
Seema – who is supported in the business by her two children and husband Krish, a captain in the merchant navy – brought out a recipe book late last year. Alongside the recipes, Magical Mumbai Flavours gives tips on cooking techiniques, herbs, spices and the culinary heritage of the dishes. She is now working on a second book.
‘When I make a curry at home, I will make one dish for everyone that can be personalised to suit their taste – if someone wants it hotter, they can have it hotter. And we did the same when we launched Dalvi’s at Home. We do a spice mix, I make that and I don’t even share the recipe with our chefs. That way, each diner can make their food as spicy as they want. That’s why we don’t put chilli signs on the menu to say how hot a dish is, it’s as hot as you want it to be.’
