Student-Led Pop-Up Eatery Becomes Full-Time Indian Restaurant on Campus
09/29/2023
Shreya Akula decided it was time to be frank with her boss.
Akula, then a student intern with , had some thoughts about the Indian food being served at SLU that she wanted to share with DineSLU Resident District Manager Myron Bridges. Akula said the food was fine but felt it could be better.
鈥淲hen I was a student here getting my master鈥檚 degree, I was doing part-time work as a food service worker,鈥� Akula said. 鈥淭hen I became a supervisor, and I had more interactions with management. I think it was during an international week, they had some food prepared by the regular chefs in Grand Dining Hall. After I tasted it, I felt like the chicken curry they made 鈥� it was not good chicken curry. It didn鈥檛 have any of that authentic taste. It was imperfect, and I wanted to make it more perfect.鈥�
From that conversation, was born. Spice Market is a new Indian-food restaurant in Fusz Hall. It opened for the fall semester.
DineSLU was already in talks with Student Involvement about diversifying its menu. Saint Louis University鈥檚 international student population was growing, with many coming to St. Louis from India. Food is often tied to feelings of home, so DineSLU was looking to create more authentic dishes.
Bridges challenged Akula to round up a team of DineSLU culinarians to improve the Indian offerings. DineSLU already employed a number of students from India, and Bridges said he knew they were cooking their own food at home.
A week later, Akula brought in Abdur Shaik and Nitish Maley, and the group went to work.
鈥淲hat if we could get the spice and the recipes 鈥� we already had the cooks, and we were going to pair them up with our culinary team,鈥� Bridges said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e not going to be cooking in a home kitchen, we鈥檙e going to be working in a commercial facility. It鈥檚 not food for a few people, it鈥檚 food for 100s.鈥�
The group worked on recipes in the lab to perfect their dishes. Bridges said he found himself frequently running to local stores to get more spices. When the group was ready, the DineSLU team decided to open a one-time pop-up restaurant in Grand Dining Hall.
鈥淭he first week, we decided to do it as a pop-up after spring break, and the line was all the way around the dining hall and back at the register,鈥� Bridges said. 鈥淚t stayed that way until we shut it down. Off that, we decided to open the pop-up that every Friday, and every Friday, we had the same results.鈥�
Akula said news of the food and its authentic quality got around campus quickly.
鈥淧eople from diverse backgrounds showed up and liked it,鈥� she said. 鈥淭o be honest, it didn鈥檛 take long for the word to spread. Students were flocking to savor the flavors of India.鈥�
Bridges said his student chefs 鈥渙wned鈥� the concept. They would plan the menu a week in advance and start preparing on Wednesday. Thursday meant more prep work in the kitchen, and by Friday, the chefs were ready for customers.
The chefs balanced the work in the kitchen with their work in the classroom. Bridges said the students worked hard and did an exceptional job balancing culinary and academic life 鈥� so much so that they often refused his help.
鈥淭hey took it, owned it, and ran with it,鈥� he said. 鈥淲henever I go in to aid and assist, they always tell me I don鈥檛 have to work.鈥�
After the success of the pop-up restaurant, the Spice Market team began looking ahead and discussed the possibility of making the concept permanent. With open space in Fusz Hall, the talks progressed.
鈥淎t the end of the semester, we started talking about making this a reality 鈥� an actual place on campus,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e talked about it from the business side and the management side and got feedback to make the dream become a reality.鈥�
Following her graduation from SLU in the spring with a master鈥檚 degree in information systems, Akula stayed on with DineSLU. She worked with the team to craft a menu for the full-time Spice Market. She is now the manager, in addition to working in the finance department with Sodexo.
Spice Market officially opened on Aug. 22 鈥� Akula鈥檚 24th birthday.
鈥淚t felt like my baby and opening on my birthday; it felt like a gift to myself,鈥� she said.
Spice Market is located next to Qdoba in Fusz. The restaurant is open from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Thursday and from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Friday. The restaurant is closed on the weekends.
Madeline Erdman, Sodexo marketing coordinator, said the feedback has been positive.
鈥淲e鈥檝e done like free sampling events where we just go out and give people samples,鈥� Erdman said. 鈥淲henever we鈥檝e done that, people always tell us that they love it and I鈥檝e seen them back in here. Some people really do eat it every day.鈥�
Akula said the chicken kabobs and mango lassi drink are her two favorite items on the menu. She said the food is for everyone.
鈥淚ndian cuisine shares a lot of commonalities with cuisines from Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Nepal, and Afghanistan,鈥� she said. 鈥淭he spices resonate with the Middle Eastern countries, so it鈥檚 not all about India. It鈥檚 for everyone around the globe.鈥�
Akula, who is originally from Telangana, India, said her goal for Spice Market is for it to be a place where people come together.
鈥淭he essence of Spice Market is not only to be a dining establishment but to bridge cultures,鈥� she said. 鈥淔ood is a universal language, and it brings together people from all over.鈥�