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There's a new restaurant serving vegetarian, South Indian food in Appleton: The Buzz

Rama Srinivasan, left, daughter Sam Srinivasan and Srinivasan Aravamudan in their family business,  Madras Café, at 819 W. Wisconsin Ave. in Appleton
Rama Srinivasan, left, daughter Sam Srinivasan and Srinivasan Aravamudan in their family business, Madras Café, at 819 W. Wisconsin Ave. in Appleton

APPLETON - There's a new dining option for vegetarians in the Fox Cities.

Madras Cafe, a family-owned restaurant serving South Indian food, has opened in the former Whisk & Arrow location at 819 W. Wisconsin Ave.

Srinivasan Aravamudan and Rama Srinivasan own and operate Madras Cafe with the help of their two daughters, Subhi and Sam Srinivasan. The family has lived in the Fox Valley for seven years and the United States for over a decade after emigrating from Chennai, a major city in southern India.

Until 1996, Chennai was called Madras. For Rama, the city's old name evokes nostalgia. She said that the restaurant was named Madras Cafe to "take a piece of home with us."

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Madras Café serves South Indian food at its new restaurant  at 819 W. Wisconsin Ave.
Madras Café serves South Indian food at its new restaurant at 819 W. Wisconsin Ave.

The family's desire to maintain ties to their culture goes into their food, too. Aravamudan, a priest at the Hindu Temple of North East Wisconsin, said cooking and serving others was passed down to both him and Rama through their families and traditions.

"We used to see and do a lot of kitchen work during temple (services)," he said. "That's how we trained." He added that he and Rama strive to make their food how they remember it from India.

Accordingly, Madras Cafe's menu is mostly South Indian regional specialties, such as medhu vada (a savory, donut-shaped fritter made from black lentils), dosa (a lentil and rice crepe, often filled) and idli (a steamed rice cake). They also serve rice, chutneys and sambar, a lentil and vegetable soup.

Southern Indian cuisine is distinct from more famous Indian dishes, such as paneer and naan, which tend to be from northern India. Madras Cafe's food uses more rice and lentils instead of wheat and is completely vegetarian.

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And, while Indian food has a reputation for being spicy, the family is happy to adjust the recipe.

"We make sure everything is very mild spice unless you request it not to be," Sam said.

The enthusiasm Madras Cafe has experienced has been "surprising in a really good way," according to Subhi.

Rama said the cafe has had visitors from as far away as Milwaukee and guests complimenting the food as "exactly like my mom's cooking."

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In the future, they hope to add delivery services and eventually hire some employees to help them out. But, in the meantime, they've enjoyed sharing their culture by serving their food.

"We grew up eating these things on a regular basis," Subhi said. "Having people genuinely interested in that ... I think that's something that is really positive."

Rebecca Loroff covers breaking news in the USA Today Network - Wisconsin. Contact her at 920-907-7801 or rloroff@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter at @RebeccaLoroff.

This article originally appeared on Appleton Post-Crescent: Appleton's Madras Cafe opens in former Whisk & Arrow location