“I see potential in people and in places.” Lavanya Mahate has been doing exactly that for much of her life. She has seen possibility in neglected buildings, in fledgling businesses, in women beginning again, and in herself. Over more than fifteen years, she has opened restaurants, cafés, and culinary ventures across Utah and even as far away as London. Today, she owns Central by Saffron Valley, Saffron Valley in Sugar House and Bix at Kiln Gateway, while continuing her work with RISE Culinary Institute.

“My dad has a very helping nature. He is always telling us, ‘The point is not for someone to show it back to us. It is always doing what we can for others.’ That is what we learn from him - to always give and never expect.” For Ramu Lakireddy, owner of Ganesh Indian Cuisine, those words from his daughter Nithya say as much about the man as they do about the restaurant he has built. Sitting beside her fourteen-year-old brother, Pranav, she helped translate and fill in pieces of their father’s story, not only because his accented English can sometimes be difficult to understand, but because both children wanted his journey to be clearly comprehended and appreciated. Their pride in him filled the room.

“This is my baby. I come in each day to see the people who return again and again - who share their stories, their lives. That’s what makes it all worth it.” When Paramjit Kaur was eleven years old, she moved with her family from Punjab, India, to Salt Lake City. They already had family in the area and "it made sense for us to come here." A few years later, at the age of fifteen, she began working as a server at her family’s restaurant, Star of India. 

"So, tea is my happy place, admits Ripple Desai, owner of Tandoori Taqueria in the Maven District. Every time you walk into my parents' home, my dad asks, 'Do you want tea?' And tea in our house is a cup of hot Indian chai.