Nothing about Nagpur-native Deepali Bavaskar’s culinary journey is ordinary. One of her very first sampling audiences, after all, included prime ministers and delegates.

Today, her Brazil-based venture Samosa & Company — which goes far beyond samosas and snacks to serve a wide repertoire of Indian food — is sparking a dialogue between Indian flavours and Brazilian palates.

A glance at the rave reviews shows the brand’s popularity isn’t just about fun flavours. It wins hearts for its hospitality, ambience, and authenticity.

For a couple with no formal culinary training — Deepali (50), a master’s graduate in botany, and her husband Vijay (54), a pharmaceutical executive — finding a niche in Brazil’s food landscape is no small feat.

And the story of their beginning is, if possible, just as iconic as the food they serve.

Championing India’s soft power through regional flavours

A series of unfortunate events coaxed Deepali and Vijay into the food business. “I was a pharmaceutical executive,” Vijay explains. The itinerant nature of his work meant trips across the globe to Russia, Africa and European markets.

In 1998, the couple moved to Brazil. A food venture wasn’t on the cards.

Vijay recalls the idea being born in 2009 as he stood in front of the then consul general of India in Brazil, Jeitendra Tripathi. Vijay wanted to return to India with the family. The year had been tough for the Bavaskars — Vijay had suffered a cardiac arrest that June, and in July, he’d been fired from his pharma role.

“The consul general asked, ‘What will you go back and do?’ In the spur of the moment, I........

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