An ethnic fusion of bold Low Country – Gulf Coast Flavor w/ plenty onion, bell pepper, celery, garlic & a spicy kick of cayenne pepper!
Cuban, Italian and Spanish immigrants came to Tampa Bay in the late 1800’s to work the factories in and around The Ybor City District. Once known as The Cigar Capital of the World, by the 1920’s Ybor City was an epicenter for ethic culture and fusion cuisine.
As blue crabs were plentiful in the waters of Tampa Bay it quickly became a cheap goto source for area families. Cuban residents introduced the Crab Croquettes (Tampa Style Deviled Crab), which became the signature street food that remains true to this day. Another little known dish called Cangrejo Enchilado (Crab Stew) was also introduced.
Some how through intermingling of cultures, recipe swapping and all the magic that happens when cultures collide, Crab Enchilado got shortened to just Crab Chilau (pronouned Shalla in my family). I’m pretty sure the Italian diaspora had something to do with spaghetti becoming the staple foundation for the dish while Spanish and African American families brought more spice variations and that Soul Food depth.
I grew up eating Crab Chilau at family celebrations and seafood feasts which was always prepared by my grandmother Minnie. For the longest time I thought only my family ate Crab Chilau. After noticing a few social media posts referencing the dish I began doing more research and discovered the deep history the dish has throughout the Greater Tampa Bay area.
My family does it with Blue Crab, Shrimp, Smoked Sausage and Corn. Since every family has their own special recipe I concentrated the sauce down to its’ core flavor in the form of a condiment, leaving you enough room to Put Your Spin On It!
Chilau Sauce is excellent for making traditional Crab Chilau and it’s delicious as an all purpose flavor enhancer all types of dishes.
Hello! I’m Michael Anderson! Spice Artist, Entrepreneur, Foodie and Kickstarter veteran. I’m passionate about all things creative and flavor related which is why I decided to make spice crafting and food manufacturing my livelihood. I have successfully funded 2 Kickstarter projects that I am proud of, both of which are still on the market today. You can trust when backing one of my projects that you are going to get your monies worth as well as a topnotch product that will make you smile at meal time.
Every coastal region from San Francisco to New Orleans and across to South Carolina has a signature seafood stew such as Bouillabaisse, Gumbo and Cioppino. Chilau brings that bold rustic flavor that reminds you of an old-school down-home dish that speaks to your soul. Time to share it with the world!
This recipe allows you to make a small pot for 4 or a large pot to feed a crowd. Now that all the flavor has been crafted into this sauce all you need is a few ingredients and it’s time to EAT!
Tampa Style Crab Chilau:
For this particular project I decided to invest more upfront in the brand identity as it was important to capture the story of Chilau before introducing it. I turned to my friend and package designer Jodi Kostelnik with Hello Neighbor Designs. She did an excellent job capturing my vision and putting a face to an idea that only existed in my mind. Jodi truly captured the essence of Chilau and I’m proud to show it off!
Chilau not only represents a historic time and the flavor of Tampa Bay, it represents a lifestyle of down home cooking, seafood and family, that’s what I’m most proud of! The funds raised from this project will be used to produce a manufacturing run of the sauce and the costs to gain distribution in the Central, FL area.
The only thing left to do is make it! That’s were you come in!
As with any food manufacturing operation the usual risks encountered are surrounded by the challenge of sourcing high quality ingredients and their availability. I believe in only using the freshest all natural ingredients in my projects and if limitations arise I will keep you updated as it happens. I’m at veteran at producing these types of projects so I’m confident I have everything I need to complete another successful project.