Welcome To Zasha

Shireen, lovingly known as “Sillie”, was the first to introduce fresh cream cakes in Karachi, Pakistan, starting in early 70’s. Under the name Cillie’s her Vanilla Crunch, chocolate, coffee, orange and other cream cakes have become very popular. Calypso, Mandarin Delight, Almond Torte, macaroon, apple pie and ice cream cakes are sought after desserts. Equally in demand are her tea cakes: marble, marmalade, lemon and date & walnut pastry.  No cook book recipes for her;  all products of her latent culinary talent.  Her Italian, Thai and Chinese dishes were equally delicious on the occasions when she obligingly catered for friends.

Deliveries only from her bungalow. No store, no advertising. Her clientele is built up solely by word of mouth. For her, baking is a passion, not a business. 

On her emigration to the US in 2005 and not wanting to encroach on her son Naushad’s baking business also named Cillie’s, she turned her talent to traditional Parsi tea time snacks: dar-ni-poris, khatai, bhakras and four types of batasas are mailed to loyal customers all over the States.

Sillie was the first elected lady on Karachi Parsi Institute’s managing committee, making the cafeteria financially viable. Somehow, she still found time to often visit the Parsi General Hospital to cheer up the patients and periodically Darul Sukoon to delight the children with her singing and piano playing. Generous by nature, she would provide her famous malido at community jashans and prepare falooda for over 300 persons and hampers of her goodies for fund-raisers. Finding it difficult to make trips to Karachi, a few years ago she gifted Cillie’s to the Parsi lady who has been managing it for many years.     

Having traveled extensively all over the world with her husband and often accompanied by her two sons, she is happily residing in Houston, pursuing her talents with passion.