Spice of India is top 10 Restaurants in the Caribbean

 For nearly four years now, Spice of India has made an indelible mark on the taste buds of the thousands of patrons that walked through its doors and dined in its ambience. When the husband and wife team of Adil and Nady Sherwani opened Spice of India at Bay Walk Mall in December 2010, it was with a lot of passion and a little trepidation.  After having served as an executive chef for many years around the Caribbean, Chef Adil decided to put his unique spin on his native cuisine. To do so, he brought in chefs from India to work alongside him and chefs from St Lucia. Almost immediately, his customers took notice that Indian food was way more interesting than they thought it to be.

“Things were surprisingly better than expected when we started,” Chef Adil says. “It was an unknown market that we had entered with a cuisine that many people have certain misconceptions about, including being too hot and spicy.”

Spice of India had become an instant hit, thanks to its ambience that speaks of India that compliments the great-tasting food. Chef Adil says that while the restaurant became popular with Saint Lucians – his initial target segment – it soon caught on with visitors.

“We’re very thankful to the Saint Lucian community that continues to support us. They’re the ones who keep our business flowing. Tourists are an icing on the cake. But Saint Lucians who don’t go to a fancy restaurant come to our restaurant because we’ve kept our prices within a comfortable range. I believe in giving good quality to people despite our high quality and customer service standards,” Chef Adil explains.

The restaurant started with a staff base of ten. Today, twenty people are employed full-time at Spice of India – seventeen of them Saint Lucians. Despite fluctuations in the level of business, staff members are not laid-off.

Four months after it opened for business, Trip Advisor, one of the world’s largest travel websites, rated Spice of India as the number one restaurant in Saint Lucia. It was a notable feat to accomplish, considering that there are about 175 restaurants on the island. Except for a slight drop in the rankings for one week since April 2011, Spice of India has kept its winning streak as number one intact. Chef Adil makes his daily trip to Tripadvisor – he has personally responded to every single one of the 800+ reviews since 2010 –

Chef Adil credits the restaurant’s achievements to consistency in everything it does: top food quality and hygiene. However, he singled out the committed and hardworking staff for ensuring that patrons experience a homely environment whenever they visit the restaurant. While Adil’s passion is for food – Nady is all about business, calling herself the ‘behind the scenes’ complement to her husband’s front-of-house presence. Says Nady: “He’s happiest in the kitchen and I hate to cook. I’ve focused on operations and HR because of my management degree and business experience, so we make a good team!”

“One of the most important aspects of our restaurant is the staff we have,” Chef Adil says. “You cannot beat that. Having worked in many islands as a chef for the past two decades, people always seem to complain about the level of service they get. In my case, I trained my staff from scratch and I couldn’t be happier. They are one of the most prized staff I have had in my entire experience. They do an amazing job day in and day out and I think that’s one of the reasons we’ve stayed on top in this country.”

Earlier this month, Spice of India earned another accolade in its delicious plate by being ranked among the top ten dining restaurants in the Caribbean, according to Trip Advisor Travelers Choice Awards 2014. It is an accolade that Chef Adil says he and his staff hope to take comfort in as they continue to serve up great food to their appreciative diners.

Spice of India also caters for special events and the restaurant is also available for business functions provided that arrangements are made beforehand.

Spice of India’s menu reflects the various dishes from the various regions in India. All the meals are prepared in the restaurant following the strictest of standards. Vegetarian meals are also available.

For Spice of India’s detailed menu, go to www.spiceofindiastlucia.com.