It's the Saskatchewan Handcraft Festival weekend coming up.
Now in its fourth decade, the Saskatchewan Handcraft Festival is known for bringing the finest in Saskatchewan craft and art to residents and visitors in the Battlefords. Juried exhibitors offer a variety of handmade goods including jewelry, pottery, clothing for women and children, visual arts, stained glass and turned wood, as well as Saskatchewan Made food products.
Among those who will be there with their food products is Arati Chattopadhyay, known as Chatty to most people, who has followed her dream through dedication and hard work to establish a successful business, Chatty's Indian Spices Inc.
Chatty immigrated to Canada in 1968 from India along with her husband P.K, making Saskatoon their home.
She worked as a registered nurse first at the Royal University Hospital then at City Hospital. P.K worked at the University of Saskatchewan.
In 1996 Arati started Chatty's Indian Spices Inc. introducing a product line of three 40 grams each spice blends such as Chatty's Gourmet Chicken Curry Seasoning Mix, Calcutta Curry Seasoning Mix and Tandoori BBQ Mix. These three spice blends are pre-measured in attractive packages complete with tested recipes, and they are made without any additives, preservatives, MSG or any artificial colours and are gluten free. In 1998 Chatty won the Best New Food Product in western Canada at the independent grocers competition.
With popular demand the company continued to expand and introduced additional products such as Mango-Mustard Chutney, Apple Chutney, Curry Paste, Butter Sauce, Rhubarb Hot Sauce and Saskatoon Berry Chutney. The Mango-Mustard Chutney was once again the winner of Best New Food Product in western Canada in 2000 receiving the Genesis Award. In 2001 Mango-Mustard Chutney won the specialty food award in Toronto. In 2003 Arati was presented with the YWCA Saskatoon Women of Distinction Award for entrepreneurship. In 2005 Chatty was the finalist for the ABEX Awards under the export category. She also won a business excellence award presented by Women Entrepreneurs of Saskatchewan.
Chatty's Indian Spices are listed with Federated Co-op and can be found at Co-op stores in Saskatchewan and also across Canada. They are also listed with Sobeys and also available in Alberta and Manitoba. Chatty's is also carried at several independent specialty food stores, gift stores and health food stores.
