East India Company
In the early 1970s, newcomers to Canada, Kamal and Sudha Mehra, opened their first restaurant, Mehra’s Delicatessen, on McDermot Avenue across from Winnipeg’s Health Sciences Centre. The couple served a host of deli sandwiches — including the famous “Mehra’s Special” (5oz. of rolled corned beef and pastrami, topped with Sudha’s secret hot mustard and melted Swiss cheese). Kamal’s mother, Usha Mehra, immigrated to Canada a year later, and the family founded Winnipeg’s first North Indian restaurant, India Gardens, featuring all of Mrs. Mehra’s original recipes and Winnipeg’s first five-star buffet. Over the years, Kamal and Sudha Mehra enamoured thousands of diners with those dishes. In 1994, the Mehras decided to expand, and opened their York Avenue location in Winnipeg, naming it East India Company. Their dedication to South Asian cuisine and culture, through the legacy they created, was felt both locally and nationally. Today, Sudha Mehra and her children carry forward this legacy of cuisine through three five-star restaurants in Winnipeg and Ottawa.
Over the last fifty years, East India Company restaurants has established themselves as providing exceptional fine-dining experiences. Their Garam Masala — a fine blend of spices roasted and ground to make the base to their most classic and flavourful curries — is a Mehra family recipe that dates back five generations and distinguishes their dishes from all others. Their chefs have been trained personally by Kamal and Sudha Mehra, and Executive Chef, Nitin Mehra, sets the menus in each location, providing something spectacular and inspired, whether at lunch or dinner. The East India Company restaurants are filled with centuries-old Indian wood carvings, paintings, and intricate tapestries — all chosen personally by Kamal Mehra, who had an undeniable passion for South Asian art.
They take pride in the strong, family-centered management team. Sudha Mehra oversees the operations of all locations, and is based in Winnipeg. She has passed on her decades of experience and knowledge to her children, who have carried on the family’s passion for hospitality and fine Indian cuisine.
Sachit Mehra, the eldest son of Kamal and Sudha, has been a part of the East India Company since 1994. He is trained and qualified in every facet of the restaurant’s operation, and currently manages our Winnipeg location. His dedication to his family’s history can be seen in his passion for providing a friendly and family-oriented dining experience to all who walk through the Winnipeg location’s doors.
Anish Mehra is graduate of the University of Guelph, specializing in Hotel and Tourism Management. He is also a certified Sommelier and brings his keen knowledge and expertise to the management of the Ottawa locations’ daily operations. His enthusiasm in expanding the business through Ontario is matched only by his devotion to customer satisfaction.
Divya Mehra, Kamal and Sudha’s daughter, assists Sudha and Sachit in managing the Winnipeg location. An internationally renowned artist, Divya shares her father’s passion for art, evident in the unique and exquisite pieces that decorate the walls of all our locations.
Nitin Mehra is a certified Sommelier and Red Seal Chef, trained at both Algonquin College and Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts. He is the Executive Chef of the East India Company Restaurants. Nitin’s ability to seamlessly fuse treasured family recipes with contemporary cuisine is exemplified in all menu selections. Nitin has also led the family in the development and sales of the East India Company line of ready-to-cook Sauces.
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