ROUSES_JulyAug2019_Magazine

by Sarah Baird For a large majority of people, the thought of running a family business — much less running a high-volume, fine-dining restaurant with their parents and siblings — would seem a little, well, daunting. But for the Vilkhus, who operate New Orleans’ most imaginative Indian restaurant, Saffron NOLA, the familial bond is the foundation for a delicious success story. “It’s cross-generational entrepreneurship,” says Ashwin Vilkhu, general manager and beverage director of Saffron NOLA. “When we opened, we agreed that it had to be all four of us doing it. You have my parents, who are time-tested veterans in the kitchen, and then you have the youth, my sister and me, with kitchen and cocktail ideas that make sure everything is nouveau but still classic under one roof.” Common Threads

Arvinder and Pardeep Vilkhu, Ashwin’s parents, arrived in New Orleans from India in 1984, when Arvinder (who, Ashwin says, fell in love with the city over a cup of gumbo) got a job working for the InterContinental Hotel. Soon, though, it was the couple’s unique culinary talents at home that started turning heads among their friends. “They used to entertain all the time, and one time when they had some friends over, these friends were like,

The Vilkhu Family photo by Denny Culbert

other businesses who were open all the time. So, we always had great press, but were living in the shadows,” explains Ashwin. But he had bigger ideas. “In 2016, I saw so much opportunity because of what was going on in town. You had [Alon] Shaya who was doing something different at his restaurant, and Nina [Compton] was doing something different

at Compère Lapin, using their traditional roots and bringing in the New Orleans influence. I just thought, ‘Why aren’t we doing something more?’” It took his parents a little bit of convincing (and a 50-page business plan Ashwin whipped up), but in August 2017, the family opened a permanent Saffron NOLA space on Magazine Street to rave reviews. Saffron’s menu is full of thoughtful, jewel-like dishes that seamlessly combine Indian flavors with New Orleans ingredients and traditions, from curried gumbo, to spice-crusted gulf fish with curd rice and mango pickles, to roasted oysters seasoned with curry leaf and served with naan. The space itself is also stunning, using textures — like silk walls and copper screens — to reflect the family’s Indian heritage and, ultimately, the beauty of a family’s love for one another and their cuisine. “The culture we’ve created is a beautiful thing to watch. If the top people in a restaurant are good people like my parents, then it trickles down to everyone and everything. That’s Saffron. It’s a happy place.” Red Gold Saffron is one of the most valued spices in the world. This ancient medicinal is derived from a flower called crocus sativus , more commonly known as the saffron crocus. The crocus is painstaking to harvest, and the yield seems hardly worth it — just three threadlike stigmas per flower —were it not for the wonderful, subtle, aromatic flavor it adds to rice dishes.​

‘We want you to cater our two-year-old’s birthday party — for 200 people,’” laughs Ashwin. “They gave it a shot, and it was a huge success, so that’s how their catering company started.” Working largely out of their home (while still keeping their full-time jobs), the catering company quickly exploded in popularity, due in large part to an eclectic style of cooking that brought together elements of traditional Indian cuisine, New Orleans ingredients and more. Saffron’s menu is full of thoughtful, jewel-like dishes that seamlessly combine Indian flavors with

New Orleans ingredients and traditions, from curried gumbo, to spice-crusted gulf fish with curd rice and mango pickles, to roasted oysters seasoned with curry leaf and served with naan.

“[My parents] can do so many different things in the kitchen. My mother had her mother and grandmother’s homestyle recipes. My dad had the technique and the French influence and training. Then New Orleans had the produce and seafood. Those three things in the mix meant that they could make this revolutionary food. And, at the time, people hadn’t been exposed to Indian food like that.” Eventually, the family launched a once-a-week, pop-up restaurant in a Gretna strip mall called Saffron NOLA, which became one of the hottest under-the-radar restaurant tickets in town. “At the pop-up restaurant, my sister, Pranita, and her friends were the waitstaff — it was always that much of a family-run business,” he jokes. “We were doing a fine-dining service but only one time a week. The critics came and loved it, but they always said they could never really blow it up like they wanted to because it wasn’t fair to

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