Restaurateur fulfills dream
Grand Falls-windsor resident on verge of opening dream restaurant
Aravind Muthusamy always wanted to open a restaurant of his own.
It is a dream the 37-yearold Grand Falls-windsor resident carried with him from India to England and Dubai before he arrived in the Central Newfoundland town in 2018.
He came here to run someone else's restaurant and is on the verge of opening his own.
On Canada Day, the dream becomes a reality when Muthusamy opens the doors to EAT (East Atlantic Tandoor) on Church Road. It will feature traditional Indian meals and some with slight modifications to fit the Newfoundland palate.
“This is my chance to open up,” he said.
It is an opportunity he was able to jump at after showcasing his culinary skills.
It isn't easy adapting to a new environment with a different set of customs and a new language.
“I didn't find it really tough in this town, and my neighbours and everyone was really welcoming and made me comfortable,” said Muthusamy, who lives in Grand Falls-windsor with his wife and young family.
He and his wife started selling their food at the local farmers' market, but when he arrived, Muthusumy didn't know anybody or how things really worked.
Through the Association of New Canadians (ANC) and Welcomenl, he gained the understanding he needed and made those vital connections.
“Welcomenl was really a tool for me,” said Muthusamy. “It was a bridge for me to connect with people. There were plenty of events with Welcomenl and the ANC, too.”
His first cooking excursion was at a multicultural event at the ANC offices, where he met the local MHA and various municipal officials.
There were events like the Christmas tree lighting and other multicultural nights that allowed Muthusamy to showcase his food and skill.
All of that helped him decide Grand Falls-windsor was the place. He liked the pace of the town, its people and the opportunity for a restaurant that it afforded him
“For me and my family, this is the place I wanted to live in,” he said.
OUT OF FUNDS
Recently, the funding for the Welcomenl pilot project in Grand Falls-windsor and elsewhere ran out and the program is shutting down for the time being.
In an emailed statement, Municipalities Newfoundland and Labrador president Sheila Fitzgerald said, like any pilot project, funding for Welcomenl was not indefinite.
It joined similar pilot programs in Gander, Corner Brook, Labrador West and Happy Valley-goose Bay.
Fitzgerald pointed at some great activity and engagement from each area since they started in 2018.
“We are working on what Welcomenl might look like in the future and we are looking forward to where those discussions might take us,” said Fitzgerald.
Grand Falls-windsor Mayor Barry Manuel addressed the program closing during a council meeting on June 16 and later in conversation with Saltwire Network.
He credited the local group for the work it has done and the events it has put off. The group routinely did multicultural nights and was a staple at other community events.
“We, as a council and a community, were very pleased with the results of that program,” said Manuel. “There was a lot of awareness raised and a lot of practical help given to people new to Grand Falls-windsor, which is really what it is about.”
There has been a lot of talk provincially about the province's aging population, out-migration and the need to bring new people to the region.
That is likewise true for Grand Falls-windsor, and Manuel saw the Welcomenl program as a great way to bring new people to the community and entice them to make the decision to stay.
“We're disappointed (Welcomenl) isn't continuing and we hope it will return in some form,” he said. “Our province depends a lot on immigration, and being able to integrate those people within our communities and make things easy for them to access services and to have places to ask questions.”