Vimala's Curryblossom Cafe


Vimala's Curryblossom Cafe is an Indian restaurant on Franklin Street in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Vimala Rajendran, an Indian immigrant to the United States, opened the restaurant in 2010. The restaurant purveys South Indian cuisine, and some dishes consist of a fusion of South Indian cuisine and North Carolinan cuisine. The company has provided free lunches in support of refugees at various events.

History

Vimala Rajendran was born in Canada and raised in Mumbai, attending college in Sion at age 17. She married at age 19 and moved to Ann Arbor, Michigan, to join her husband while pregnant with her first child. Rajendran was subjected to domestic violence and decided to move with her children to Chapel Hill in 1985.
She began selling food in Chapel Hill in 1994 with weekly donation-based community dinners; two years prior, she had cooked a large dinner for neighbors and was motivated to continue. They also served a source of income for Rajendran's family. As a dependent spouse, she did not have legal authorization to work, and she served take-out dinners in an "underground" status from her apartment until 2005.
Vimala's Curryblossom Cafe opened on May 31, 2010, with $80,000 in community loans. Rajendran had learned about the practice of microcredit after a trip to Jamkhed. The restaurant made $650,000 in its first year.
Vimala's received the $100,000 Mission Main Street Grant from JPMorgan Chase in September 2015, one of 20 small businesses. At the time, Vimala's was $300,000 in debt, partially due to the restaurant's policy of feeding customers who could not pay.

Operations

The restaurant's fare consists of South Indian cuisine, and some dishes are a fusion of South Indian cuisine and North Carolinan cuisine. Rajendran runs the restaurant with her second husband, Rush Greenslade. Rajendran's daughter Anjali is the restaurant's pastry chef, while son Rajeev and daughter Manju work for Vimala's as needed. Rajendran is the owner of the restaurant, located in The Courtyard at 431 West Franklin Street, Suite 16.
Vimala's has hosted events providing free lunch to refugees. Rajendran promotes Global Neighborhood Day on the Sunday after Thanksgiving to celebrate many cultures of the U.S. by hosting a free buffet dinner.

Fare

Rajendran cooks many of her mother's recipes of the cuisine of Kerala, like sambar, while fusing it with local food, like barbecue in North Carolina. It is also inspired by Maharashtrian cuisine, where Rajendran grew up, and Punjabi cuisine, especially samosas. The restaurant's menu also includes tandoori chicken, pulled pork, chana masala, dosas, collard greens, chai tea, and cardamom-chocolate brownies.