Karan Francis Manavalan has spent 15 years honing his culinary skills in renowned kitchens like Oberoi Bangalore, Brunettis Dubai, and Writers Cafe, but his true culinary passion was shaped in his Ammama’s kitchen in Kochi where he spent many of his summer holidays, with fresh, soulful feasts on the table.

As Karan's career took him from Pune to Dubai to Mumbai to Goa, he often missed his late Amamma's food. He craved her pumpkin erissery, fluffy appams, beef pickle, and so much more.

In 2020, during the Goa lockdown, he started recreating more of her recipes - mostly to eat it himself and also to make his wife - Aishwarya try them. Very quickly, Karan was able to win over his wife (an ex-picky eater!), his friends, and even Goans during numerous pop ups.

It became clear there was an unexpected but deep love for Kerala flavours in Goa.

This led Karan and Aishwarya, his wife-turned-business partner, to bring more of Kerala's food and drink experiences to Goa in the form of Chakos, Panjim, where Karan blends treasured family recipes with his passion for delivering authentic food experiences.