‘Where it started, where it’s growing’: Family-owned Indian restaurant to open in DeLand

One of DeLand’s most treasured food trucks will soon open the doors to its first brick-and-mortar location in the same place its story began — the Artisan Alley.

Parvathy’s Kitchen, the newest addition to downtown DeLand, sees the finish line, owner Rachael Paltrow tells me, with an opening date for the South Indian-influenced eatery just around the corner. Humbled by the unwavering support of their loyal customers, Paltrow says her family’s decision to open a restaurant downtown was based upon a community-driven opportunity for growth — one that will continue to embrace the flavors and sentiments of home that the restaurateur holds so dear.

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Paltrow, a third-generation South African, grew up in the city of Durban, South Africa, — one of the largest Indian-populated communities outside of India itself — where she tells me the culture, recipes and traditions of her family’s South Indian roots were passionately kept alive throughout her time there.

“For me it was just watching my grandparents, my aunts and my mom and dad cook — and in Indian culture, hospitality is like the biggest thing … So, watching my mom and dad cook and entertain friends and family, it was always just part of who we were.”

Following her love for people and her curiosity for the world, Paltrow eventually landed a position across the ocean in Orlando, where she met her now husband, Steven. The couple started a family and moved to Volusia County where they began putting their culinary and hospitality backgrounds to the test, and the rest, it seems, was history.

How did Parvathy’s Kitchen begin?

“A 10-by-10 canopy in the alley,” Paltrow tells me, is where it all started in 2014.

Here, she began selling spices and small Indian snacks every Friday night at the DeLand Artisan Alley Farmers Market. But what started as a small-scale evening shop quickly grew in popularity.

“We were selling out constantly,” she noted, ultimately doubling her production each week just to meet demand. After nearly six months at the market, Paltrow and her husband realized it was a venture worth investing in further.

And that’s just what they did.

In 2015 the pair opened their own food truck — the first of its kind at the local market — where they expanded their offerings from spices and snacks to a full menu of homemade Indian favorites.

“Every Friday we would sell out, so we just kept increasing our production,” she said. “But it was wonderful. I’m strong in hospitality and (my husband) is strong in the food department, so I taught him the Indian recipes and we’d both just do the cooking together.”

An opportunity for growth presents itself

After learning about an Alley spot up for grabs several months back, the couple was open to expanding, but knew the decision wasn't one to take lightly.

“It was a step that my husband and I had to think about. Every Friday night when we would do the food truck, we would always get asked the question, when are you opening a brick and mortar? But for us, as a family, our family unit is very important — it’s our number one.”

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With family time at the forefront, the pair decided to take over the space and open their first eatery as a takeout-only restaurant — a venture that opens the door to greater culinary freedom, production and connection to the community they know so well, without the commitment a full-service restaurant demands.

For the dedicated couple, the location of Parvathy’s Kitchen couldn’t feel more right.

“When you go out the door, I’d say maybe 50 feet or less is where we would park our food truck on Friday nights,” Paltrow said. “Because Parvathy’s Kitchen started here, we always said that if we ever did anything, it would have to be (here) … the Artisan Alley has been like home for us — it's where it started, where it grew and where it's growing.”

What to expect at Parvathy's Kitchen: Menu, opening and more

The new DeLand eatery will offer a menu packed with the same array of homemade Indian cuisine that customers have known and loved for nearly a decade, with plans to expand its offerings over time.

Parvathy’s Kitchen, named after Paltrow’s mother Parvathy, will continue to honor the very recipes and culinary techniques that she grew up watching her parents perfect, offering a “fusion” of both North and South Indian dishes with a South African flair.

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The menu will include classic samosa — described as a pastry dough dish filled with peas and potatoes; naan, paratha and roti breads; Chicken Tikka Masala; vegetable curry; as well as her late father Shan’s lamb curry — a nostalgic dish she says brings her back to Saturday mornings at home.

“My dad was very big on cooking … that was something that would stick in my mind — just the smells in the kitchen, him cutting and grinding those fresh spices and him just making it with so much love.”

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Perhaps one of the most beloved items is the Bunny Chow — a hollowed loaf of soft, white bread filled with chicken, lamb or bean curry, whose “scooped out interior” is used for dipping. The shareable dish, which originated in Durban in the 1940s, is a recent menu addition that has proven popular among Parvathy’s Kitchen customers and will return as a specialty menu item at the new restaurant.

Although no official opening date has been announced, Parvathy’s Kitchen hopes to tentatively open its doors by early April.

“We love what we do," Paltrow said, "And we love serving the community."

“(Our) success lies within the customers … We’ve had a constant loyal customer base over the last nine years, and I am so thankful for them, because they've been the ones that have been able to keep us going.”

Parvathy’s Kitchen is located at 105 Artisan Alley, DeLand, and plans to be open 11 a.m. – 2 p.m. Tuesday – Thursday and 6 – 9 p.m. Friday. For information, call 407-668-3705. For updates on the eatery’s opening and menu, visit facebook.com/parvathyskitchen or @parvathyskitchen on Instagram.

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Parvathy’s Kitchen, DeLand Indian restaurant, opening in Artisan Alley