Recipe sale could be epilogue to Fredericton's samosa saga
Last Updated: Thursday, January 22, 2009 | 10:20 AM AT
CBC News
There is hope for many Fredericton samosa connoisseurs as the recipe for one of the area's iconic spicy treats is being put on the market.
Bena Patel is now looking to sell her catering business and with it may come her secret samosa recipe. That recipe became so popular at the local farmers' market that it led to the so-called 2007 samosa war.
The fallout from that dispute led to Patel's snacks being taken off the market, but that could soon change if a samosa suitor is found.
"If I can find somebody who's really interested in making samosas with my recipe, I'd gladly train them to do that so people can have the samosas they want now," Patel said.
Other cities are synonymous with cheese steak sandwiches, bagels or even deep-fried pastries, but for many in the New Brunswick capital it just wasn't a real Saturday until they endured a long lineup at the Boyce Farmers' Market for a samosa.
Samosas were not conceived in the capital city, but Patel offered patrons their weekly samosa fix as the catering company transformed into a fixture at the Fredericton market. In fact, Patel's and their rival, Samosa Delite, were victims of their own success as many vendors complained about the seemingly endless queues for the spicy Indian delectable.
'I pretty much went cold turkey as soon Patel's went down. I was just like, yeah, there's nothing else. I'm hitting the German baker for my fix these days. Samosas are dead to me.'— Matthew Peck
That led the city's samosa war to erupt about two years ago, leaving many Fredericton residents in a state of shock and awe that their treasured Saturday morning treat was no longer available.
The samosa vendors were told to relocate to a trailer in the market's parking lot. Patel's chose not to take their business outside and their samosas have not been available since that decision.
The Fredericton samosa market hasn't totally dried up in Patel's absence. Samosa Delite moved its business and the controversial queue outside with other food vendors.
But Matthew Peck still raves about Patel's and said his samosa sensibilities have never fully recovered from the dispute.
"I pretty much went cold turkey as soon Patel's went down. I was just like, yeah, there's nothing else," Peck said.
"I'm hitting the German baker for my fix these days. Samosas are dead to me."
Patel looks to new generation of samosas
Now for Peck and others like him, there might be hope that Patel's samosas will live on with the transfer of the secret recipe to a new owner.
Patel said she's hoping to get about $75,000 for her catering business and the revered recipe. And if she sells her business, Patel said she will offer to personally train whoever buys her recipe on how to make samosas her way.
"I thought if someone comes along and says, 'Look Bena, I'd like to have your recipe,' I'd be glad to [sell]," she said.
"But I'm going to be very, very choosy about [to] whom because I don't want to sell the recipe just for the sake of selling my name. I'd want them to probably make close to what I was making taste-wise and texture and everything."
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