The mother-and-son duo behind Riverside’s Cali Tardka took a much-needed day off from their home Punjabi restaurant in late June after a long week. In addition to preparing to-go orders of their most popular dishes like chicken tikka masala fries, butter chicken and samosas, Kulwant “Kimi” Sanghu and Manu Sanghu had filmed hours-long shoots for CBS and Tastemade segments.
Over the last couple years, the family has made a name for themselves as guests on TV shows such as “Good Morning America,” “Access Hollywood” and “The Jennifer Hudson Show.” They’ve shared their heartfelt story about how launching Cali Tardka as a licensed home restaurant helped them bounce back from the brink of homelessness. Customers now travel from as far as San Diego and Las Vegas to try their battered and fried masala fish and chicken tikka masala burritos wrapped in naan bread. The family has served celebrities such as Rashida Jones, Russell Peters and Mario Lopez.
The mother and son have long dreamed of owning a bricks-and-mortar restaurant, but it was only in the last few months that it seemed like a viable possibility. Looking for a location, they hope to open a takeout spot in 2025.
Kulwant “Kimi” Sanghu, left, with her son Manu in the living room of their home in Riverside. Their home restaurant has become very popular and has regular customers from all over California and out of state.
(Paul Rodriguez / For The Times)
At the heart of the business is the matriarch and chef, Kimi, who underwent a personal transformation as a result of opening Cali Tardka. Once meek and rudderless, she now describes herself as confident and a “boss lady.”
“Mom’s always been a hustler,” says Manu, 22. “She’s like, ‘Let your business talk.’ You’re never going to see us on social media being like, ‘We’re the best at this or that.’ All we’ve been doing is just grinding.”
This hustle mentality has been a cornerstone in Kimi’s life, keeping her family afloat as she has struggled with financial insecurity for decades as an Indian immigrant stuck in unsteady, minimum-wage jobs. Prior to 2018, when Cali Tardka first materialized, Kimi was constantly worried about paying her mortgage after having previously lost two other homes.
Her husband, Avtar Sanghu, was laid off from his job at a smoke shop five years ago. Kimi recalled the long drives home from work as a technician at an Anaheim medical scopes company as being painful. As soon as Kimi would get on the freeway, she’d call her husband for updates on job prospects. “He’d say ‘no’ and I’d just hang up the phone and I’d cry, every single day,” says Kimi, 50.
An order of Naan is readied at Cali Tardka home restaurant in Riverside.
(Paul Rodriguez / For The Times)
Manu suggested Kimi sell her samosas as a way to make ends meet, and he built a social media presence for their budding new business. Their menu and customer base grew. Kimi would come home after her full-time job to start cooking. After school, Manu and his sister, Pardeep Sanghu, would handle grocery shopping and kitchen preparations.
Four months in, when Kimi began feeling a glimmer of hope, a Department of Public Health representative told her she needed to shut down Cali Tardka because she was operating without a license. It was soul-crushing news for Kimi, but she was hopeful again when she heard that Riverside County would be the first county to adopt the new California Assembly Bill 626, which allowed for home kitchens to operate as food facilities. After what had been an excruciating eight-month wait for Kimi, Cali Tardka became one of the first licensed home restaurants in July 2019.
“I was on the top of the world … like I won the lotto,” says Kimi.
Kimi Sanghu fills a samosa that will then be deep fried.
(Paul Rodriguez / For The Times)
