A fresh taste of India every year
What started as just a friendly visit to the biggest little city became an opportunity to test the taste buds of Reno residents. India Kabab and Curry, one of Reno’s first Indian cuisine restaurants since 2005, aspires every year to bring the latest and best tasting parts of India back home to share with the community. In a growing city with both big and small businesses settling in, and a population growth rate of 2.09% each year, globalization is inevitable. It’s estimated that there are around 5,000 Indian restaurants in the USA, but not all go the extra step to keep their menus up to date. The business owner, Singh Bishan, describes the efforts the restaurant goes through to not only serve their Indian community but also the humans of Reno.
“I send a chef every year to India. New recipes always come up, we add new ones every year.”
The chef visits India for one month, sometimes in a different part of the country such as Deli, Bombay, or Hyderabad. A two week cooking class helps refine their skills, and teaches them new ways and recipes to cook. Once the chef returns, the restaurant experiments with different foods to refine and decide which new recipes to add to the restaurant menu. Bishan said they add around one or two new dishes each year. Although this annual tradition has been on a pause since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, it will still continue to be a part of India Kabab and Curry’s routine in the future.
Bishan was inspired to open an Indian food restaurant when he came to America and noticed there were hardly any at the places he visited. One trip to Reno to visit a friend turned into opening one of the first Indian cuisine spots in town. He says he wanted to share his home country’s food with those who have never tried it before.
“Indian food is very popular. There was only one small place here, and when we first opened the restaurant there were like 400 people outside in a line.”
The spot not only attracts Reno’s Indian customers but also people from many origins. Coworkers exchanged conversations in multiple languages while on their breaks, with Bishan saying he has employees from India, Mexico, and Pakistan. One host said he decided to stay working with the restaurant after being hired to do an electrical job on the building.
India Kabab and Curry is also active in the local community by catering and hosting events at the restaurant, and donating food every day to serve those in need.
