PORT HAWKESBURY: Sukriti Bhardwaj grew up taking joy in cooking with her family, but never would have envisioned back then she would be running her own restaurant.
“My mom is a really good cook, and my grandmother was always a really good cook, so I feel like it’s in our genes,” Bhardwaj, who is the owner of Naan Stop told The Strait Area Reporter. “I’m so passionate about cooking too. If I know I’m feeding others and loved ones I put that special touch and make things look really nice.”
Bhardwaj arrived in Canada in 2017 and after a few years she received a psychology degree from Cape Breton University. One day while driving through Port Hawkesbury with her mother on the way to visit family in Halifax, Bhardwaj got the idea for a restaurant in the area serving Indian cuisine.
“So, I thought why don’t I do it,” she said.
Sorting through different available spaces in Port Hawkesbury, Bhardwaj first set her eyes on a different building than she is currently in. When the deal with that building fell through, she knew she had to find somewhere else.
“I just knew I had to be persistent,” Bhardwaj said. “If I set my mind to do something, I’m going to do it.”
Wanting to stay in the Reeves Street area, due to the high traffic volume, Bhardwaj began doing more research. She eventually found a space next to Shopper’s Drug Mart, where her restaurant Naan Stop is now located.
Wanting to open before fall, Bhardwaj rushed to get things together and not only had the help of her dad who was visiting, but also different community members. When attempting to move a special stove into the building, the restaurant owner noted the kindness of strangers who helped.
“It’s 600-something pounds, so I couldn’t kill my back, and I told my dad he couldn’t do that either,” Bhardwaj said.
After heading to a local business to rent moving equipment, the company told her she wouldn’t have to operate the machinery, and they’d help.
“They just came down, took a forklift and moved it right in,” Bhardwaj said. “I don’t think that happens in the big cities. It’s just the places where the people are so close knit and try to help each other out, so that’s the best part about starting in this town.”
For doing the work Bhardwaj said all the group wanted was lunch, so she delivered them all a dish called Butter Chicken after the restaurant opened on Oct. 5.
There’s been pros and cons while getting everything open but the biggest challenge, Bhardwaj noted, is finding supplies. Ingredients considered basic foods found in other shops are not found anywhere, but Sydney or Halifax.
To get the proper ingredients, about four trips a month to Halifax are needed which means “extra costs and travel,” Bhardwaj said, adding she feels the town might need an Indian grocery store in the future. “That would be helpful in cost cutting if I had that.”
During the same time Canadians are celebrating Halloween, some people from India celebrate Diwali, which is the Christmas equivalent for the Hindu religion. A celebration takes place from Oct. 29 – Nov. 3 and Bhardwaj noted they had festivities for both occasions.
“It’s a festival of lights, so you want everything to be bright. There was extra lighting and décor and we also did Halloween at the same time. We had someone at the side door dressed up handing out treats and in the front, we were also doing Diwali.”
Since opening, Bhardwaj estimates they’ve had over 1,000 people sit down to eat, with many people being travellers who stop in.
“People will come in and order Masala Chai with their family and that’s what I envisioned. It’s what I wanted when I was taking my parents down, so it’s nice to see that’s what others wanted.”
Learning and adjusting along the way, Bhardwaj feels at home in the location she’s in, excited for the journey and wouldn’t change a thing.
“I’m pretty happy and proud of myself,” she said. “It’s going better than I expected; that’s always a good thing.”
Bhardwaj noted she gets her persistent skills from her grandfather, uncle, and her dad who pushes her to accomplish big things, and shared “if you set your mind to something just go and get it.”
Among the restaurant’s initial success Bhardwaj said, “it’s the staff who make it what it is and I’m so thankful for them.”