Choolaah co-CEO Randhir Sethi believes his fine-casual restaurant concept with five locations on the East Coast has cracked the code in making Indian food both accessible and authentic.

“Our approach has been to create joyful experiences through wholesome food with craveable flavors, at everyday prices, in a hip and fun environment,” he says. Spice plays a big role in Choolaah’s cuisine, from the Perfect Balance Bowl, which uses a variety of complex spice blends in marinades, rice, and masalas to yield balanced and delicate flavors, to the Samosa Chaat, which layers chickpea masala with sweet and tangy scratch-made sauces and roasted cumin. “It makes your mouth come alive with the combination of umami and bold and subtle flavors,” Sethi says.

The brand sources more than 30 premium spices, like dried mango, yellow chilies, cloves, nutmeg, asafetida, pomegranate seeds, ginger, cumin, dried mint, black pepper, and coriander, to create more than a dozen blends unique to Choolaah. A sauce station in each location helps guests amp up dishes as they desire. “From our sweet and tangy Tamarind Apple to the increasingly assertive Mint Yogurt and Spicy Mango, our sauces give you a range of zesty heat options,” Sethi says.