A group of young men are using a chain of eateries to spread their brand of Indian cuisine throughout South Taranaki and Wanganui.
Wanganui's Tasty Indian restaurant is one of three, manager Raghav Anand says.
It opened in the former Red Flame restaurant in Victoria Ave's top block on December 17 and sells
buffet Thai and Indian lunches and Thai, Indian and tandoori evening meals. The restaurant, which has a nine-year lease, seats 50 inside and 10 outside, and customer numbers are building.
Former lessee Zahid Mohammed is now running a mobile coffee-selling business.
The other Tasty Indian outlets are a restaurant in Stratford and a takeaway in Hawera. The owners are Vijay Nautiyal, working at Hawera, Devi Prasad, cooking in Wanganui, and Sunil Badoni, working in Stratford. They have 10 to 15 staff overall with about six in Wanganui.
Mr Anand, who has a degree in hotel management, said they decided to set up in Wanganui because it only had one other Indian restaurant at the time.
Tasty Indian Thai chef Avijit Nand is from Fiji, where he worked in a five-star hotel before coming to New Zealand three years ago and spending 18 months cooking at the former Vega restaurant.
He learned Thai cooking after that, while working at The Red Flame, and said he now knew it front to back.
Mr Prasad, from north India, learned south Indian cooking while working in Dubai.
He'd like to introduce dishes such as dosa stuffed with cheese or lamb or served with dahl soup.
Mr Anand said the staff worked together like a family.
None of the men have family in Wanganui and don't mind spending plenty of time at the restaurant, having met through working at other Indian eateries. They also all send money home to Fiji or India.
