Chef Swetha missed Indian food above everything else when she moved to the U.S. in 2014 for her new software job. The tastes of Bengaluru lingered like a vivid memory, and she wanted to import the flavors of her hometown to New York City. But skepticism brewed with her own family. Her husband Venkat was concerned about how she would juggle her personal and professional life with a tiring side hustle.
Offering complimentary samples to passers-by with an experimental weekend stall outside Forte Greene Park in Brooklyn was the turning point. Nearby residents quickly developed a craving for her dosas and looked forward to them every Saturday morning. And that’s how the Brooklyn Curry Project was born. Today, hundreds of people visit the couple’s dosa stall from all corners of New York City. According to them, dosas and chai are the best way to kickstart their weekends.
Swetha and Venkat have two children, who are so used to dosas, that they can eat them for all three meals. “I work five days to support my family, one day is dedicated to my passion project, and one day to my kids,” said Swetha. But the ultimate dream is shimmering on the horizon — to turn her passion into a sustainable profession with a dosa restaurant. That might not be the case now, but the couple is working towards it, one crispy masala dosa at a time.
