By Satvik Niranjan
The Journey of the Heart from interest to occupation- guided through family, food and creating positivity. The inspiring success story of Delhi Heights Indian Restaurant and Bar.
An abode of food, fragrance, taste, fun & togetherness, presenting itself in an electrifying nature wherein the Bollywood music unites multiple souls over the pleasure of Indian culinary delights and radiant nature gleaming the place. Delhi Heights Indian restaurant and bar is nestled in the heart of the Hills district in Dural.
Possessing 4.6 -star google reviews and catering authentic Indian cuisine across the Hills district, it is suitable for casual family meals, group events, parties and special occasions owing its roaring success to owner and head chef, Sony Sodhi. In the heart of Dural, Sony Sodhi, the head chef and owner of the renowned and popular Delhi Heights Indian restaurant is a passionate chef who enjoys bringing people together and fostering connection through her cooking and is a popular choice for parties and live catering.
An experienced chef, working in Australia with over 14 years of knowledge, skills, experience and qualification, Sony Sodhi has taken over the governance of the restaurant. Proving that the nature of leadership is about helping others in need with consistency and a vision, Sony Sodhi is a visionary who concentrates on helping others to exploit their full potential. With her mission statement, you care we care, she gives importance to the customers under her care to ensure that their experience is memorable and everlasting. As we spoke, she provided a glimpse into her early life and how she started her career in the hospitality industry, the factors that influenced it, as well as sharing some unknown facts about herself.
statement, you care we care, she gives importance to the customers under her care to ensure that their experience is memorable and everlasting. As we spoke, she provided a glimpse into her early life and how she started her career in the hospitality industry, the factors that influenced it, as well as sharing some unknown facts about herself.
Q: What would you have done if you were not a chef?
Before wanting to become a chef, I was interested in a nursing career, as I had a passion for it, just like my passion for cooking. My family however was against that and henceforth I chose to become a professional chef, entered the hospitality industry and chose to do hospitality management. I did a diploma in this from 2006-8 here in Australia when I came as an international student. This all happened because my father had a desire to establish his own restaurant one day, however he could not do it, henceforth I am fulfilling his desires and dreams and making happen. I was always working in the kitchen when I arrived in Australia when I begun working in a restaurant. Despite the various challenges that I faced, I kept learning on the spot and have never looked back as my passion kept growing. The food industry is something I owe immense gratitude to as it has shaped my journey.
Q: Please tell us a bit about yourself
I was born and brought up in a middle-class family in India and have 2 brothers. I learned to cook when I was in year 5 and took up this responsibility as my mother was working as a school principal and did not have the time to cook because of her busy job. My two brothers also learned to cook along with me during this time, and we children took care of the house, and I used to cook. My dad used to make various dishes, such as flatbreads, and he trained me simultaneously to cook various dishes for the family, such as curries and lentil stews. He assured and reassured me that I am cooking well, and that if I keep doing this, my passion will grow overtime. This passion for cooking motivated me to migrate to Sydney and is all due to my parents’ blessings and me being able to fulfill their dreams and aspirations.
Q: Did your passion for cooking commence in your childhood days?
Yes, it did! My passion for cooking started during my school holiday break when my cousins and myself would meet up, and during this time I would cook for them, and everyone praised my culinary talent, and this seemed to motivate me. The positive influence I had on them motivated me to become a professional chef and establish my own restaurant one day and take my food to the outside world. This motivation grew and grew from year 10- 12, when I cooked for an elaborate crowd of 30 people, consisting of my aunties and uncles, whose praises motivated me to establish my future career as a well renowned and respected chef. The credit goes to my parents, as my mums’ recipes are what I use till day and is a big blessing from their side.
Q: Who or what inspired you to commence your culinary journey?
I started off as a home cook, in both Sydney and in India. As I kept on doing this it became a passion. This increased when I saw Indian naan breads being made in a takeaway restaurant here in Sydney. I was absolutely awestruck seeing this happening and I realised that working in the food and hospitality industry is a simple way to make and earn a living, with the hard work we exert into the food preparation. I requested the chefs in that restaurant if I can try and make one naan bread and they refused due to the intense heat of the tandoor (Indian clay oven).
I assured them and said, “don’t worry”. That same day I made a naan for lunch and ate it myself and it turned out amazing! This gave me the confidence that I can do anything and everything! During this time, I lived with our family friends, and I proposed the idea of opening a restaurant. I opened this restaurant in 2007-8 along with my business partner. I was never scared of hard work and because of this power and fearlessness I am here today, and I enjoy my restaurant and the people who dine here. I am always willing to serve and help others in need and host their birthday parties. I never turn customers away from my restaurant!
How did you start your career, and what steps did you take to do so?
I started off by being confident and getting my parents help. During this time my mum was my motivation. She always used to say that today is about hard work and tomorrow is about enjoying and celebrating the good results gained from that hard work you have exerted. She always used to remind me that I can do it and supported me in my hard times! Unfortunately, my mother has passed on, however she keeps on supporting me from the divine realms and keeps on blessing me. I started my career with Indian restaurant chains, and I established my own restaurant and had to leave due to specific issues. Hearing this, she told me that all these are things in life which will make you a more experienced person and said that even though today is a bad day, tomorrow will be a good day. With this reassurance and advice, I tackled all the challenges that I have faced. My mother is surely the main motivation in my life and now everyday in my career is a good day!
What challenges were you facing in your journey and whilst entering the hospitality industry?
There were many big challenges coming, and one of them was the lack of ladies working in the restaurants, handling the tandoor and also working with five senior chefs in the restaurants. Additionally, the work hours were also a challenge as I had to work long shifts and worked more than the male chefs. Despite this, I went through all the challenges.
I was motivated throughout this journey and learned that every day presents a challenge but if we are determined and if we teach ourselves to cross hurdles, we can do anything! I passed through these challenges because of my prayers, because I pray before work and when I reach work, asking for gods help, guidance and support.
Due to this, God is the reason as to why I tackled all these challenges and moved forward in my job, due to the excitement to learn how to operate the various machineries in the Indian restaurants, such as the tandoor oven.
Throughout my life, I was working a lot and working in a kitchen full time. Now due to this experience, Delhi heights is an easy restaurant to run, as I am self-employed. Furthermore, the good verbal and google reviews are another reason as to why I work in Delhi Heights and I am getting excited and my motivation increases day by day.
I have read that you have gained experience working as a chef for 14 years in Sydney and gained experience with operating the tandoor. Before working here have you worked anywhere else? And has your initial experience shaped your career today?
It has! This is because I was doing tutoring in India and was teaching students. Additionally, I did a nursing course in India for a year. The nursing practicals and my personal reasons is why I gave up on this, and henceforth I quit the nursing job and gravitated towards food. My mums’ friends recommending me to visit Australia and try the hospitality management diploma is another reason as to why I gravitated towards a culinary career. I agreed on the condition that I get a job in the food and hospitality sector. After completing my English exams in India, I moved to Australia as a student.
When I began my career, I learned so much overtime and I opened an Indian takeaway restaurant with my friend. I was responsible for managing the place along with them and got experience. During this phase of my life, I used to get five-star reviews and customers coming from the Blue Mountains who praised my food and loved it a lot, to an extent that they could differentiate between my cooking from another person’s cooking. This experience has enabled me to give back to the community and to those who have shaped and who are shaping my career.
During this time, I dealt with various people, ranging from those who have a low income and various dietary requirements, needs and preferences. Irrespective of all this, I fulfill the desires of others and wish to make them happy. My mother-in-law was the inspiration to takeover this restaurant, and she always said, “Sony, you can do it”! and gave me the money to buy this restaurant. To date her blessings pervade this restaurant, and I continue to thank her for her reassurance. I also thank my husband who is always supporting me every day! I wish to focus on giving to my family and to the wider community and will continue to operate Delhi Heights with passion! I continue to go out of my way to serve others and recently I got an order from the Central Coast and went to fulfill that customers wish.
What do you do as the head chef of Delhi Heights to maintain your goodwill, and how does this contribute to the personal and collective success of the restaurant?
To maintain the goodwill of Delhi Heights, my business partner, staff and I concentrate on cooperating with and listening to the customers and their individual preferences. We work on understanding their needs and wants, as well as knowing what they expect from us during their visit to the restaurant. Based on their expectations, we cook accordingly as per their requests and demands. Due to the positive experiences gained from our customers who dine with us, this has resulted in word-of-mouth marketing wherein we get an amazing reputation, as well as having many people flocking to our restaurant. This has really had a positive influence on me due to the quantity of customers that I serve and the satisfaction I gain from serving them. Additionally, the positive thoughts of the customers who think of Delhi Heights as a “homely” restaurant is another factor which influences our success, as we aim to make our visitors feel at home.
To add on, the success of Delhi Heights is further influenced by us as actively encouraging other small businesses and the community due to the various fundraising events that we participate in as a restaurant. Recently, we supported those who can not raise awareness about their business to the public and this gave us immense satisfaction. My motivation with all this is to prioritize others over ourselves.
Q: How do you attract people of different backgrounds to your restaurant? And what would you do to make this happen
To attract people of different backgrounds, we try to spread the message that Indian food is always spicy, when it is not. To remove this generalisation from the wider public, we focus on cooking to adjust to their preferences, such as mild and medium levels. When they come here, we try to assure them that we cook as per their preferences.
Additionally, we host many events which attract people of different cultural backgrounds and during these events we place an emphasis on them. We also get orders from different people for multicultural backgrounds due to their love of Indian food.
Q: How do you feel your cooking has attracted others to your restaurant?
Very simple! I cook from my heart. When people taste the food, they can easily tell that I have cooked their meals and respective orders with passion. When it comes to attracting others to the restaurant to try our Indian food, we focus on personalisation and providing the customers with the liberty to create their own atmosphere by means of bringing their own music, providing Bluetooth connection and allowing them to bring the speakers too. Additionally, we allow them to create their own menu, and this is a big difference we have as opposed to other restaurants.
Q: What motivated you to commence this restaurant?
The idea of beginning this restaurant commenced when I migrated from India to Sydney as a chef in the early days of my career. When I arrived, the people knew that I would purchase a restaurant somewhere in Sydney. When I brought this property, my customers who came knew about my reputation as a renowned caterer who runs a catering business and requested me to cater and cook for their parties. I humbly declined their offer and explained that I am not the owner here. The real owner during the time was experiencing many medical issues and sicknesses and could not do all the work required to maintain this restaurant. He offered me his position and gave me the chance to take over and trusted me with the operational jobs.
Q: What gives Delhi Heights a competitive advantage over other restaurants?
The location, the beautiful natural atmosphere created and the decorations too. Furthermore, the big spacious environment of the restaurant which gives a competitive advantage, along with the ample parking areas which we have. In a nutshell, the physical evidence is something which gives us a competitive advantage.
Q: What advice do you have for future aspirants who wish to enter the hospitality industry and become a successful entrepreneur like yourself?
Have a passion for the hospitality industry, be well mannered towards the customers and to everyone else in general. Do not be scared to work hard and give back to others, mainly the family and community. If we have the passion of being hospitable and placing others first, then we can be successful. Additionally, be open towards learning every day in both your life and career and focus on always doing positive things.
