Mr. Avtar Walia
The Captain at the Helm
His Story
Three decades ago, Mr. Avtar Walia came to the Unites States of America with a hope to live the American Dream. Coming from the northern region of India, specifically Punjab, he too had a dream of his own – to bring about Indian food, a part of his bountiful culture, to this great nation so that people may get to know about the wonderful and immaculate flavours of Indian Food. In the seventies, he was a warehouse manager for Gucci, and worked at the city’s Tandoor restaurant as a captain. His dream of being associated with food came when he started managing Akbar, a once famous and prolific restaurant on Park Avenue. It was during his tenure here that the desire to open up his own restaurant intensified and gained focus, his mission now was to open an Indian Fine Dining restaurant of his own.
This vision saw a partial fruition in the form of Dawat, a highly respected restaurant both in the Indian diaspora as well as the citizens of New York. As a co-owner, Mr Walia was instrumental in the restaurant’s success and fame which in turn was monumental in bringing Indian food to the limelight in New York’s unique culinary traditions.
Fifteen years later, he opened Tamarind as its sole proprietor focussing his knowledge, passion and imagination to launch a world class dining operation on East 22nd Street, Flatiron. Under his guidance and tenacious hard work, the restaurant was awarded one star from the prestigious Michelin institution.
Now, with the opening of Tamarind Tribeca, he has the opportunity to take the culinary sciences of his roots to new heights.
Mr Walia’s Vision For Tamarind Tribeca
For centuries, New York has been the symbol of the ultimate melting pot where cultures and traditions meet and are refined. At the centre of this melting pot stands Tribeca, a neighborhood that resonates with both upcoming and sophisticated trends that someday will be recognised and respected globally.
With Tamarind Tribeca, Mr Walia hopes to do exactly that with Indian Cusine. With his entourage of expert and highly motivated chefs who represent the various culinary traditions of India along with all its glory, theatricality and flavor he is determined to establish both the restaurant and the culinary tradition it subscribes to in the realms of fine dining. An honor which for long, has been disassociated with Indian Culinary Habits.
