Sprouts and Spill visited a new location! When we entered the Thali restaurant in New Canaan, Connecticut, it was adorned with beautiful stained glass windows. The inside was cozy and elegant, restaurant goers huddled around warmly lit tables for their lunch and birthday celebrations. This restaurant has come a long way. Originally it was in the heart of New Haven, Connecticut serving college kids. Since then this establishment has worked itself from the ground up and built a reputation that has won awards and even served celebrities.
We sat down with world renowned Dr. Chef Prasad to discuss his origin story of going from a busboy to a top chef of an Indian restaurant that has wowed patrons across Connecticut and beyond!
What is Diwali and how does the restaurant celebrate?
Soumya Argawal (@foodieveggie) and Deanna Henry (@deanna_troy_travels) celebrated the Diwali holiday at Thali by Chef Prasad restaurant! Diwali is the major festival of lights celebrated annually by more than a billion people across Hinduism, Jainism, Sikhism, and other religions. This year it was on November 8th, the date varies every year but it usually falls between mid-October and mid-November. The celebrations for Diwali include family feasts, sweets, presents, fireworks, cultural fashion and more! Thali celebrates this holiday through events with curated menus, hand made treat gifts for customers, and more!
Where did Thali begin?
Chef Prasad grew up in India. His siblings all studied to be doctors, but he wanted to break the mold of his family tradition and pursue a more creative and social career. His spark for creativity and his love for his culture turned into a passion for cooking that he then brought to Connecticut. His first job in the states was a bus boy! This gave the chef insights on how to treat employees and run a restaurant. From then on, he built an empire through his family's traditional recipes. The restaurant's first location was at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut. He even opened an all vegetarian store "Thali 2" on the campus! The original customers were Yale college kids and celebrity guests that often visited the university. Two of his loyal celebrity customers include Richard Gere and Kenny Rogers!
Where is Thali now?
From New Haven, Chef Prasad took the restaurant to New Canaan, Connecticut. The Thali restaurant then moved from an vintage bank into a beautiful location with stained glass windows and custom seating. Chef Prasad's fan base and acclaim started to grow! His restaurant was featured in the New York Times and he was invited to cook at the James Beard house. Inspired by his new fan base, he even started his own custom tours around India, bringing his customers to taste the flavors that he often shares with them in his restaurant.
Indian food and plant-based diets
Thali restaurant was a featured on Sprouts and Spill because they are vegetarian and vegan friendly. In fact, most Indian food is vegetarian, with a high concentration of lentils, chickpeas, beans, and curries made with creams and yogurt. In Hinduism celebrated in India, cows are seen as mothers and pigs are also sacred. This highly leaning vegetarian cultural food is also very easy to make vegan. Chef Prasad and his staff are knowledgeable about veganism and can accommodate most of their dishes to match that diet.
Chef Prasad's Advice
Chef Prasad encourages people to follow their dreams and to work from the ground up so that you really get an understanding of the whole process of what you're trying to build. Chef Prasad loves Indian culture, food, and hospitality. He takes those learnings of traditions from India and infuses them every day into the Thali restaurant. His advice on eating Indian food? Well that's easy. Just come to Thali and the staff will serve you and explain everything!
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