About us

Born out of a Jersey City kitchen not much larger than a walk in closet, Chalsa is a function of curiosity and creativity.   

After spending one too many late nights in the lab i.e (kitchen) modifying the 1000th batch of my fresh roasted tomatillo salsa, I realized it wasn’t lacking flavor but meaning. I needed something that transcended the concept of salsa and conforming to my mantra of never following a recipe, it needed to embrace what made cooking so special to me. The inherent ability to draw from the cultural food palette to invent  flavors that were universally consumed across a spectrum of dishes irrespective of cuisine.     

Having an existing love for Indian food and culture, I was inspired by chutney, a staple meal compliment in Indian cuisine which already shared several of the ingredients with the salsa. Once infused with 7 peppers and 25 fresh ingredients including peaches & mangos, Chalsa was born. Versatile in use, delicious in taste, the mystique of Chalsa  has driven me on a life pursuit to explore the global food landscape and create multidimensional culturally inspired flavors that could be applied to other product staples as well.   

Ultimately, I realized that if you want something you never had, you have to do something you’ve never done. 

-Tommy Penaherrera, 
Founder, Pancibus