about us
Our Vision
We’re creating a world where our neighbours have access to fresh, healthy South Indian cuisine that they can’t get anywhere else in the Okanagan.
Our Mission
We’re on a mission to introduce the culture of South India to our Okanagan neighbours through sharing the unique flavours and foods we grew up with.
Our Values
Family
Food is best enjoyed with family. That’s why we’re bringing the foods and recipes our families cooked in South India to our new neighbours in the Okanagan.
Passion
This business is our passion. Food is our passion and we want to share our passion with others who already (or who will soon) appreciate the unique cuisine of South India.
Culture
We are proud of our cultural and familial roots. A big part of our culture is the food we prepare and enjoy with friends and family.
Our Story
Everyone always says home cooked meals are always tastier than something prepared on an assembly line in a commercial kitchen. When it comes to the fresh ingredients and flavours in our South Indian cuisine, this holds true. That’s why we make home-cooked meals in small batches to preserve as much of that “mama’s home cooking” authenticity as possible.
We remember when our moms would wake up at 4 am, before the rest of the families to ensure we ate a fresh, healthy breakfast every morning. Processed breakfasts like cereal and pop tarts were not a thing in our homes. It’s what we, and our neighbours in Bangalore, Karnataka (in South India), grew up with. Food has always been deeply connected to our culture.
We met & got married in India. Deepa came to Canada to do her MBA in 2017 and Rahul joined her 2.5 years later. When we moved to Canada we struggled to find any restaurants or meals that felt like home. Western Canada is filled with “Indian” foods and restaurants, but they cater to Northern Indian foods like butter chicken, naan and curry. We knew Indian cuisine was more than curries, but our new community in BC had no idea what they were missing.
For years we jokingly talked about opening our own South Indian restaurant so we could share our favourite flavours and culture with the community, but the timing wasn’t right and never pursued the idea. We only started to get serious about the idea after our move to Kelowna, BC, in late 2020.
At the time, Rahul was working in financial services and realized it wasn’t really his passion. Food was his passion. He quit his banking job and, together with Deepa, Not Just Curries was born. We’re on a mission to introduce the culture of South India to our Okanagan neighbours through sharing the unique flavours and foods we grew up with. With Rahul’s experience cooking South Indian food and Deepa’s background in business and marketing, we work together to bring our favourite flavours and culture to our community.
Rahul & Deepa
Rahul & Deepa
Experience Southern Indian Cuisine for yourself today!
Food is a huge part of our culture and we enjoy sharing it with our friends and family. Today we share our culture through food, using recipes inspired by our mothers. We enjoy replicating the tastes we grew up with.
Interested in experiencing Southern Indian Cuisine for yourself? Head over to the How it works page!
