Roni Mazumdar with Adda, Rahi, Masalawala, & Dhamaka

Roni Mazumdar is the restaurateur behind The MasalaWala, Rahi, Adda Indian Canteen, and the soon to open, Dhamaka in the Essex Street Market. An engineer turned actor turned restaurateur; Roni has found tremendous success recently with Adda. Adda has gained critical acclaim, named on various best new restaurants lists such as the New York Times, Bon Appetit, Eater, and was a semi-finalist for Best New Restaurant by the James Beard Foundation.From helping run his father's fruit cart in downtown Manhattan, Roni gained early experience in hospitality and guest interactions. Roni went onto a successful engineering career, which blossomed into opening his first restaurant as a retirement gift to his father, The MasalaWala.Roni soon realized in operating an Indian restaurant, how under appreciated and under represented Indian cuisine was in New York City. This episode delves into his first restaurant entrepreneurial lessons from running The MasalaWala, the "biggest failure in his life" in having to close down Tapestry, and his eventual calling to demystify Indian cuisine.