Photos: Smoke by the Sea
During my early morning lockdown walks with my four doggies on Mumbai’s Juhu beach, we were frequently greeted with delicious aromas of meat being cured somewhere near a sea-front four-star hotel. For many months I have attributed this to the hotel. But when I made inquiries at the hotel, they had no notion of what I was talking about. The aromas continued to baffle me till recently.
Recently at a small intimate gathering with some close friends (of course with proper social distancing), we were served some delicious smoked cheddar cheese and some wonderful sliced smoked ham as accompaniments to a delightful Cabernet from the Sula Valley near Nasik in Maharashtra. This was my introduction to a local outfit called Smoke by the Sea. Further investigations revealed that this was the very same outfit responsible for my early morning olfactory stimulations located as they were at a seafront ground floor apartment on Juhu beach!
Telephone numbers and website addresses were handed over as we said good night to our hosts. The very next morning I called Smoke by the Sea to get more details on their menu and other logistical details. I was greeted by a warm friendly voice who introduced herself as Lynn.
After some light banter about their menu and so on I was so impressed that I ended up ordering more than I intended starting with their smoked almonds and peanuts, going on to their smoked chicken spread and of course two portions of their piece de resistance for the weekend – smoked pork ribs.
The weekend could not arrive too soon! The products came well in time for our Sunday lunch. My foodie family wasted no time in carving out the ribs and attacking them like hungry wolves. Same with the smoked chicken spread on sourdough bread – lip-smacking!
Around the same time, my batchmate Alan invited me to contribute to a Foodie network he co-founded with Sanjay Dhar. As a newly anointed food journalist I thought it would be great if I could earn my spurs by doing a story behind this great taste.
That’s when I messaged Lynn about wanting to get their story for the foodie network. She willingly agreed and so a chat was set up for the following week. While we waited, some more goodies were ordered and wolfed down.
Smoke by the Sea is the brainchild of Jehan and his wife Lynn Hilloowala residents of Juhu. Their lovely sea-facing apartment comes with a beautiful lawn attached to a gorgeous view of the Arabian sea. It turns out that Jehan is not the professional chef I was expecting but a self-trained food curing and smoking junkie whose day job was that of a Corporate soft skills trainer in his own firm.
Jehan was introduced to the art of smoking by his uncle from the UK about 10 to 12 years ago. He finessed his skills over the next several years on a home model Weber Kettle. Many years of research and experimenting on family and friends followed. Thanks to word of mouth, they were invited to set up a stall offering during Christmas and New Year’s events at the Bandra Gymkhana and other upscale clubs in Mumbai.
While all this was gratifying and a nice little ego boosts the thought that one day, they would do this for a living never entered their minds thanks to being stretched for time as busy professionals and parents.
But fate had other plans, the COVID lockdown brought the training business to a temporary standstill. But as they say that when “God closes a door he always opens a window” (Sister Maria ‘Sound of Music’) so it was with Jehan and Lynn, so while locked up at home, the idea of a gourmet delivery business started to gather strength.
Soon thereafter a name was coined, Lynn despite being in the family way lent support. Heads were put together, the kitchen cabinet got busy, menus were discussed and refined, sources for fine pork, chicken, tenderloins, and fish were and the sounded and their cooperation sealed. A larger more precise Kamado grill was acquired and a smoking chamber was custom built in the lawns outside their apartment.
As they started taking their first steps, the path started revealing itself. Word of mouth and some marketing on social media brought in their first orders. Flyers were placed in social media and soon more orders began trickling in. Smoke by the Sea was in business.
Business gradually started gathering critical mass. Jehan and Lynn had to rope in their parents to support the production. In all this hustle bustle Lynn had to handle the marketing while juggling nursing duties for their newborn son Kai and attending to the demands of their 6-year-old Aiden.
During my chat with Jehan, I was curious to hear about their journey in the last several months and some of the learnings and challenges faced while nurturing this fledgling business. Here are some excerpts…
“Smoking and curing foods is not just about the science of correct times and temperatures but it is also an art that requires exercising informed judgments especially with varying quantities”
“Over seasoning is best avoided as it does not allow the natural flavor of the meats to come though”
“While cured meats can be stored in the refrigerator for several days, microwave reheating is not recommended, best to put the bag into hot water and allow the meat to heat up gradually”
Of the challenges, one main challenge was to manage the reactions of his neighbors and apartment owners many of who were vegetarians, especially when it came to smells of meat curing. “But in all fairness,” Jehan says “they have been very and supportive but as the business grows, we cannot keep taking them for granted and so we are actively looking for more suitable locations”.
Another challenge was the logistics of ensuring tamper-proof packaging while delivering. This Jehan says was largely solved when they started vacuum packing foods for delivery.
With the lockdowns easing, the news of vaccines on the horizon and more and more offices opening I asked Jehan how he is going to cope with his corporate training business and this lockdown baby. Jehan feels with some additional support personnel he should be able to wear both hats at least for some more time.
As regards future plans, the first in the list is to relocate the production and the second is to travel and interact with another fellow ‘smokers’ and ‘smoke masters’ and learn new skills and introduce Mumbaikars to newer and newer food experiences. Perhaps later on start Mumbai’s first standalone charcuterie.
As we came to the close of our conversation I was totally impressed by this wonderful entrepreneurial couple and I can’t but help look forward to more gourmet experiences from their kitchens.
To order contact: Lynn +919820135406 or visit www.smokebythesea.com
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Seasoned Marketeer and Advertising professional with a track record of launching and building powerful brands that are today household names like Venkys chicken, Futura pressure cookers and cookware, Dr. Fixit and most recently Polycab. He has also worked closely on brands like Raymond and VISA. He however, started his career as a management trainee with ITC hotels with stints in the Maurya Kitchens, and F&B at Chola Sheraton and Searock Sheraton. Before turning independent consultant in 2017, he was COO at the advertising firm RKSWAMY BBDO. In all the intervening years he has never lost his passion for food and cooking. Extensive travel in India and overseas has only helped in expanding his foodie horizons. After lockdown Shailen hopes to get back to his other passion Scuba Diving while continuing to share his foodie experiences on this network.
