(September 11, 2024) Had Joginder Singh Gahunia been alive, he would have turned 80 this year. Though he passed away in 2002, he left behind a sweet legacy — Raja Sweets, the oldest North Indian fast-food restaurant and sweet shop in Houston. Almost every Houstonian has either heard of Raja Sweets or been a customer. Yogi Bhai, as he was popularly known, founded the shop in 1985 during a time when affordable fast-food options were scarce.
Affectionately calling Houston’s Hillcroft area “Little India,” Yogi Bhai played a significant role in having it officially designated as the Mahatma Gandhi District. He is remembered as one of the founding fathers of the district.
Late Joginder Singh Gahunia and Resham Kaur Gahunia with their son and daughter Sharan when she was 10-years-old
Raja Sweets, located at 5667 Hillcroft, is still run by his family, with his wife Resham Kaur Gahunia and daughter Sharan at the helm. “Our dream is to keep going as long as we can. The business will hit 40 years in about a year,” Sharan shared with Global Indian. “I aim to make it to 50. I think 50 years at one location would be quite an achievement.”
Proudly carrying forward the legacy
Whether it’s Eid, Diwali, Karva Chauth or Ganesh Chaturthi, the already busy restaurant and sweet shop sees an even greater increase in visitors.
“Our strength is quality and consistency,” Yogi Gahunia often said. The family has worked hard to maintain that consistency, not only in the quality and taste of their products but also in keeping Raja Sweets’ prices reasonable for the past four decades. After Yogi Gahunia’s passing, the family even received a $1.5 million offer to sell the restaurant, which they quickly declined. Sharan could not see the place she had grown up in getting sold. She was in her early twenties then. The legacy had fallen on her shoulders, and she proudly took on the responsibility alongside her mother — as her older sister suffered from cerebral palsy and her brother chose a different path outside the family business.
Carrying forward the legacy: Resham (second from left) and Sharan (centre) during Raja Sweets’ 25th Anniversary
The community leader
Her father was a strong supporter of the community and often provided packaged snacks for events of Houston’s India Culture Centre or Indian student functions at a very nominal cost.
There has always been a warm, welcoming atmosphere at Raja Sweets that has drawn people in for years. Under Yogi’s tutelage, the shop became a popular gathering place for workers from various organizations to exchange ideas and plans. Many meetings of officers from the India Culture Centre (ICC), the South Asian Culture Centre (SACC) and numerous other groups have been held at Raja Sweets.
Former Mayor Lee Brown campaigning at the Mahatma Gandhi District, in front of Raja Sweets
Houstonians still remember the dynamic founder, who was an active member of the local Indian community. He played a significant role as a founding member of the South Asian Chamber of Commerce and the Asian-American Political Caucus, served on the Board of the ICC, and was a member of the South Asian Political Action Committee.
A devoted member of the local Sikh community, Yogi Gahunia also served as the President of Gurudwara Sahib of Houston. His community involvement extended to supporting and contributing to numerous political campaigns, including those of President Bill Clinton, Vice President Al Gore, Senator Phil Gramm, Governor Ann Richards, Mayor Lee Brown, and City Councilmen Michael Berry and Gordon Quan.
Joginder Singh Gahunia giving a taste of India to one of the locals
Creating Houston’s Little India
Yogi Gahunia paved the way for hundreds of South Asian businesses in Houston’s Hillcroft, now known as Mahatma Gandhi Street, after he took the initiative to work with the local government to give the area its own identity.
He, along with fellow immigrant entrepreneurs like Aku Patel of Karat 22 Jewellers and Ramesh Lulla of Sari Sapne clothing store (and later Shri Balaji Bhavan restaurant), set up their businesses in modest retail strips in the Hillcroft area during the 1980s. Together, they dubbed the area “Little India.”
Mahatma Gandhi District, Houston
“He just knew that having a business was the way to go, if you had a family. Both my parents said that working regular jobs wasn’t ideal. So, they wanted to own a business from a get-go,” Sharan mentions.
Yogi and Resham chose to open a restaurant because they wanted Houstonians to enjoy freshly made mithais, and get an authentic taste of India.
Since then, the area has expanded from just three Indian-owned businesses to over 300 Indian and Pakistani-owned clothing stores, jewellers, salons, markets, and restaurants, with Raja Sweets standing as a cornerstone of this vibrant South Asian community.
The immigration story
Born in 1944 in the small village of Sujjon in Punjab, Yogi moved to London in 1966 where he earned a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from Isleworth College in Hounslow. He got married in 1971.
Always inclined towards entrepreneurship, in 1973, the late entrepreneur opened his first restaurant in the United Kingdom. “It was in Chesham, England, and he named it ‘Take Away,’” informs Sharan.
Yogi and Resham later immigrated to the United States in 1979, where they established ‘The Front Row Restaurant’ in Cleveland, Ohio. Two years later, they moved to Houston, and in 1985 they opened “Raja Sweets”, the first North Indian fast-food restaurant and sweet shop in the city, naming it after their son whom they lovingly called Raja.
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“In the beginning, it was hard to find chefs in Houston who could prepare Indian delicacies, so my father brought people from India to cook,” Sharan explains. “Later, my mom’s two brothers migrated from India to the US. Over time they had honed their skills in preparing mithais and North Indian food by going back and taking culinary lessons in the villages. They are still in charge of the kitchen,” she adds.
Maintaining the impact
While the front team at Raja Sweets consists of women, including Resham Kaur Gahunia at the counter, her brothers’ wives, and a Gujarati employee, Sharan remains the ever-smiling face of the business. Raja Sweets is popular not only among South Asian community but also with local celebrities and others, enjoying significant coverage in media.
With male chef in the kitchen Raja Sweets is run by the ladies at the forefront
“Apart from being Houston’s oldest Indian restaurant, we serve fresh, made-from-scratch food – that’s what sets us apart,” says Sharan, proud to carry her father’s legacy forward.
Chef Vineet Bhatia with HRH Queen Elizabeth II[/caption]
Chef Bhatia's pistachio chicken seekh kabab[/caption]
Chef Bhatia making Indian tacos[/caption]
Chef Bhatia with his family[/caption]
Houston’s best original Indian food spot! 🙂