FLAVOURS
Cooking for Community Vira Chudasma fosters food, wine & fellowship in Temple By JANNA ZEPP | Photos by JUSTIN BORJA and courtesy of VIRA CHUDASMA
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alk into any of Vira Chudasma’s three restaurants on West Adams Avenue and you will notice a completely unpretentious and warm ambiance regardless of the separate atmospheres and interior decor. La Riv Kitchen & Bar is sophisticated yet casual with a menu that is predominantly Tuscan Italian. Sona Wine Bar & Small Plates offers informal, upscale intimacy with a broad selection of wines. The sports bar, 3 West Alehouse & Grill where, quite literally, everybody knows your name and if they do not, they will soon, is relaxed but still classy. Manager Kara Cooper makes everyone feel welcome and cared for. Assistant Chef Tony Strauss helps make all of Vira’s cuisine top notch and often comes out to make sure you love what you’re eating. All three menus are updated regularly. And all three venues are definitely neighborhood hang outs known for great food and service. You’ll need to follow Vira’s restaurants and bars on their social media pages and accounts to stay current with the many events and live music each hosts. And soon, there will be a fourth restaurant to enjoy after it opens during the spring of 2021: Bombay Central. That one will feature a traditional Indian street food menu, craft cocktails and a Scotch and Bourbon bar with access to Sona for wine.
Chili Chicken or Chili Paneer at La Riv
16 SPRING 2021 | TEX APPEAL
Wood Roasted Half Chicken at La Riv
“Bombay Central will offer the kind of food I grew up with in India,” says Vira. “It is a kind of comfort food, and I absolutely love comfort food.” She came up with the idea for the new place after she began serving some of her traditional Indian favorites curbside from La Riv during the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic. “I run out of Chicken Tikka Masala first, every time. I figured it was time to open an Indian restaurant,” she adds. Speaking of the pandemic, that was what changed Vira’s business model and she says she found her calling in the midst of the chaos. “Everything was shut down. People lost jobs. They went hungry. That’s not right. Everyone should be able to eat. Feed your people first, then help them find jobs. If they’re well-fed, they can overcome anything,” she says. And that is when she began offering curbside free pasta and sauce to those who could not afford to pay. “I had food on the shelves that would go bad if we didn’t use it. It was not like I was rolling in cash at the time, but I felt a moral responsibility make sure it did not go to waste and people had something to eat during that dark time. Before Continued
