FOUNDER'S NOTE

My grandmother still calls me every Tuesday to make sure I'm not putting too much cumin in the rice. I usually am, but I don't tell her.

Indian chef in his 30s smiling warmly in a commercial kitchen, wearing a simple apron, soft warm light

Sanjay Patel

Founder & Head Cook

I started Desi Bites in 2021 with nothing but a 10-gallon copper pot and my grandmother's handwritten recipe book. Minneapolis has an incredible food scene, but I deeply missed the specific, unapologetic spice of the streets of Hyderabad. Our first weekend, we sold 20 plates out of a friend's cafe after they closed for the night. I burnt my hand, lost fifty dollars, and had never been happier.

We don't use commercial curry pastes or artificial red food coloring here. If our chicken tikka masala isn't bright neon orange, it's because real tomatoes and spices don't look like that when simmered. We believe in honest cooking, fair wages for our kitchen crew, and feeding our neighbors like family.

OUR JOURNEY

How we grew, step by slow step.

We didn't have investors or a big marketing budget. Just a lot of rice and some very hungry neighbors.

  1. 2021

    The WhatsApp Calls

    Spent three months getting yelled at by my grandmother over poor spice-to-rice ratios. Finally got her seal of approval on the lamb marinade.

  2. 2022

    The Midnight Pop-up

    Rented a local bakery's kitchen from 10 PM to 2 AM on weekends. Sold out of lamb biryani to late-shift workers and college students every single night.

  3. 2023

    Our Own Kitchen

    Opened our permanent home on Main St. Installed a real clay tandoor and hired three of our favorite local line cooks.