Like most young people, when Thrijani Kantareddy moved away from her hometown for work, she missed the comforts of home – including her mom’s cooking. She and her friends didn’t have the money to go out to restaurants every night and fast food didn’t satisfy, so she decided she would learn to cook. After Kantareddy had been at it for a relatively short time, her friends and family were amazed at the flavors she produced and the quality of the cuisine.
Fast forward through living in India, earning her MBA, moving to the United States, and performing contract work at Whirlpool Corporation, Kantareddy is now opening what’s been her dream of owning and operating her own authentic Indian cuisine restaurant. It’s called KT’s Rasoi – which is her initials (KT) and the Indian word for kitchen (Rasoi).
“This has been my dream because I love cooking and I love to feed people tasty food. By God’s grace, I have been gifted from my mom and grandmom because they are great cooks. So, I got that from them,” Kantareddy said. “Whoever eats the food gives it a lot of compliments and that gave me this boost of, ‘Okay why not start it in a commercial way?’”
Kantareddy said the idea to open a restaurant really came to life after shopping at Roger’s Foodland. In the parking lot, she spotted an open storefront in the same complex with a ‘Space Available’ sign. She texted about the space, asking if a restaurant would work there and that’s when she found out it had previously been the New Hong Kong House restaurant that had permanently closed during the pandemic.
Asked about her specialties, Kantareddy said, “I like to cook Hyderabadi biryani. It’s a cuisine influenced from the Middle Eastern countries. Although biryani is available in all parts of India, there are various kinds. Hyderabadi biryani, you can say… it’s the king of biryanis.”
KT’s Rasoi will also serve samosa, dosa, butter chicken, uttapam, idly, vada, masala chai, and mango lassi. In addition to the traditional Indian foods, the chai and lassi are beverages frequently found in South Asia and Indian culture.
“The key part here is… making fresh food, always people like it. Even if it makes them wait for a couple of minutes, it comes with a genuine taste. It comes with a true value of that authenticity. With that mindset, we have limited our menu.”
Kantareddy’s husband Lax is also involved in the operations – helping with everything from marketing to making sure the dining room is ready.
“We are very excited because this being (our) first venture. I just can’t wait to see how people take it and come in here. I don’t want to be overly optimistic, but then I do want to be an optimistic person where I want people to come in here, and I want to see the crowd here. I want to see that overwhelming response from people,” said Lax.
In addition to standing up the restaurant, the Kantareddys have just secured approval from the City of St. Joseph to offer beachside service at Lion’s Park Beach with a food stand that will serve summer drinks and to-go snacks.
Kantareddy has already hired staff, held a soft opening to test the kitchen and service, and will open for the public on June 21. KT’s Rasoi will be open Tuesday through Thursday 5 pm to 9pm, Friday 5 pm to 10 pm, Saturday 10 am – 1pm and 5 pm – 10pm, and Sundays 10 am – 1 pm and 5 pm to 9 pm. KT’s Rasoi is located at 4075 Hollywood Road (near Roger’s Foodland) in St. Joseph.