Saas and Bahus are mostly at loggerheads from Indian TV family soaps to Indian households. Either mothers-in-law are dominating and daughters-in-law are submissive, or daughters-in-law are scheming and mothers-in-law are suffering. In times when their “kitchen politics” grab eyeballs to raise TRPs for TV serials, a real-life saas-bahu duo – Sushila and Aishwarya – have bonded over food as friends and business partners though they are thousands of miles apart from each other.
Sushila cooks Marathi flavors in her kitchen in Mumbai and her daughter-in-law Aishwarya serves the same from New York. The saas creates culinary magic in India and ships to New York with dollops of nostalgia. The bahu packages it and sells to Indian expats across the United States where all Indian things are available these days, except authentic Maa ka Khana. Their bond is called and celebrated as Namkeen Queens.
Before Namkeen Queens was born, Sushila Aai would send her handmade sweets and snacks to her son and daughter-in-law in New York on festive occasions like Diwali. Engaged in the American rate race, their only comfort of home away from home was Sushila’s besan ladoo, rava ladoo, and chakli from India. Festive boxes of homemade savories on flights from Mumbai to New York blossomed into a full-blown business – Namkeen Queens in the US.
For Aishwarya Shankar, a Keralite of Tamil descent, the Marathi snacks with touches of Kolhapur cuisine tasted completely different; however, the love, warmth, and care that Sushila Aai cooks with felt familiar to her. Little did she know then that they, in-laws by relation, would bond over food as daughter and mother, and business partners. With the neighboring Indians showing interest in her mother-in-law’s snacks, Aishwarya hatched a business idea.
Aishwarya quit her corporate career in the US and launched Namkeen Queens with Sushila Aai as a co-founder. She was a seasoned product manager with years of experience navigating the dynamic landscape of product development in digital commerce. Though located in different hemispheres, they teamed up with both ‘excitement and uncertainty’ – only to start ruling as ‘Namkeen Queens’ in September 2024.
When Aishwarya pitched the idea to the family, Sushila Aai did not turn averse to cooking savories at a commercial scale. Rather, she agreed to don a home chef’s hat for herself. Commercial cooking is not difficult for her, as she cooked for large gatherings and festive occasions for years – an age-old tradition in joint Indian families. Aishwarya’s brother-in-law also stepped in to supply logistics and provide any other support to Sushila Aai in Mumbai.
Piloted by the daughter-in-law’s business acumen, the mother-in-law’s culinary artistry began to take flights to USA from India, delivering an experience, a feeling, an authentic taste that Indians abroad long for.
“Namkeen Queens is not just a brand—it’s a tribute to the rich culinary legacy of my mother-in-law (Sushila Aai). Her cooking skills and authentic recipes are at the heart of our mission. She’s a remarkable woman with incredible culinary talent. I’m committed to preserving and sharing her culinary magic with the world, turning traditional Marathi flavors into a global sensation,” Namkeen Queens’ CEO Aishwarya told Travel Beats, a leading overseas Indian community portal.
Namkeen Queens’ authentic Indians snacks are equally popular with Indian expats missing the taste of home and other ethnic groups curious about Indian flavors. Yearnings for Maa ka Khana and value for the authenticity of ingredients used keep Namkeen Queens alive as a bridge not only between Aishwarya and Sushila, but also the US and India. Aishwarya defines Namkeen Queens as “a connection to heritage, a celebration of tradition, and a way of sharing the warmth of home…”
