By Wendy Kawada For those who don’t know me, I’ve been the Director of Operations here at Kasa since 2013. But more importantly right now, I am 100% Chinese-American. I’ve thought a lot about the racism and violent acts against Asians recently and thought hard about my own experiences. Initially,
This year, the International Women’s Day theme is to #choosetochallenge. ‘’A challenged world is an alert world. Individually, we’re all responsible for our own thoughts and actions – all day, every day.’’ From challenge comes change. My personal choice is to challenge the idea of what a leader looks like.
Today’s post is a spotlight on Kasa’s talented operations manager Wendy who is my right hand woman, there for both the team and me. I appreciate her intellect, work ethic, business acumen, fairness and calm demeanor even in the face of a crisis. Covid reveals strength of character and
Rangoli screens are available in our 2020 Diwali Celebration Box! Purchase one now at Kasaindian.com on our online menu.
(See below to order your Diwali Celebration Box!) Culture One of the gifts of immigration is the rich culture immigrants contribute to this land. Over the years, my own life has had infinitely more texture and joy having lived in two diverse cities like London & SF. It’s one of
The separation between work and life right now is challenging to manage. Your teams are working harder than ever! Help them out and bond with them during zoom meetings. Offer perks and appreciation by sending Kasa eGift Cards. See details at the end of this post. What is it like at my home? I
Win a Free Picnic Catering to Top Off Your Summer! The summer of 2020 has been like no other in recent memory. Right now it’s particularly harsh with the wildfires causing tragedies, evacuations and poor air quality. This month would have been filled with the music and energy of Outside
Happy Birthday! We are celebrating Kasa’s 12th birthday this year. Happy Birthday Kasa! It’s a real trip when you see kids who used to come in as Middle Schoolers now strolling in as adults with jobs traveling around the country and fond memories of Kasa meals. Despite the tough year,
Dear Loyal Kasa Guests, We hope that you and your families are safe and staying positive at this time. We are reaching out because our 12-year old, family-owned Kasa with its 40 employees is in jeopardy like so many other businesses during this difficult and scary time. We could use
Psst! Free offer below! Mention this blog post at any location for a complimentary Samosa Chaat with purchase of two Thali Plates! Chaat Chaat is a category of snack foods insanely beloved by Indians. It’s a whole meal occasion in and of itself, mostly found on street-side stalls. Typically eaten
Order Catering for Diwali – 15% off during the month of October Whether you grew up Indian or watched that one episode of the Office, by now you’ve probably heard about Diwali. Now it’s time to step your Diwali game up with an office celebration (and take advantage of
3rd Annual Bhang Lassi Picnic We are almost at the end of tax season, which also means Kasa’s annual 4/20 Bhang Lassi celebration!! I can almost feel the tension in the City. Everyone’s a little more serious, corporate lunch orders slow down, the air has a sense of anxiety in
This is a story of my journey with Kasa Indian so far… – Mitesh Shah, General Manager Before Kasa, I have worked in fine dining restaurant almost all my life, and in every possible position in FOH. I had a couple of experiences with casual and fast food. When I
Share Tweet Forward Our Annual Free Chai for Valentine’s Day! Happy new year! Now that the holiday season is behind us, we need to keep finding excuses to celebrate life and not get too caught up in the routine. The next celebration is Valentine’s Day. A day to
It’s that time of year again. Tax filing deadlines are approaching as well as Kasa’s celebration of 4.20. If you are looking for a way to unwind from the stress of taxes, come check out our now annual Bhang Lassi Event. Reading through last years blog I was curious about
This month’s staff spotlight is on Chef Kaustubh. Kaustubh is heading up our upcoming Free Kasa Community Dinner, where we will celebrate great food and community by treating a group of lucky Kasa customers to a special meal on us! Details of how to win seats to the dinner as
We hope you all had a restful Thanksgiving break! This time of year is so beautiful with the autumn colours on the leaves and the holiday lights sparkling in trees and homes. But paradoxically it can be an equally tough time too. We are bombarded with media messages of happy
Or belated birthday! As Indian Independence Day was on August 15th. This month is a particularly proud month for us Indians. We celebrate our 70th year of independence from British rule. And most importantly, we commemorate 70 years of a Free and Democratic Nation. The current political climate around the world can
Serving the community is one of the key values on our Heart of Kasa value, and April means two things in the San Francisco community – taxes and 4/20! See out Bhang Lassi recipe below! Whether you’re looking to eat your tax liability sorrows away or you’ve got the munchies for
March 8th Kasa celebrated International Women’s day. The tagline of the organization: Call on the masses or yourself to help forge a better working world. A more inclusive gender equal world. For the past two years we supported International Women’s Day by hosting in both our stores a #PledgeforParity and #BeBoldforChange campaign. Many
This last month we introduced the Smokin Hot Sauce and it’s catching on like wildfire. The color is a deceptively vibrant green, easily missed for an avocado mayo or something mild, however, don’t be fooled. It’s smokin hot! Tiny Thai Birds eye chilies mixed with habanero chilies pack a solid
We’re 8 years old at Kasa this week! Over the years, I’ve felt the increasing importance of engaging with our customers, sustain a strong brand presence online and using social media channels as tools for feedback. How important or necessary really is this? I try to think about you
Next time you sip on a Kasa Mango Lassi delivered through a fancy on-demand technology platform, I want you to ponder that you’re also drinking in a centuries-old “offline” tradition of lassi making dating back to 1000 BC. Lassi – the ‘Ancient Smoothie’ – heralds from the land of Punjab,
Customers take a look at our overhead menu and declare out loud. ‘’I am confused, I feel like I need a college degree in this menu to understand it”. I usually put them at ease assuring them it’s not an uncommon reaction for a virgin Kasa diner. Only the brave
I feature staff spotlights to forge the connection between the food you eat and the people serving and cooking it for you. In an age of technology, which Kasa fully encompasses, I want to cherish the human connection even more. For the majority of our team this is the reason
I recently read that there are more women in management and ownership in the restaurant industry than any other industry. This got me thinking about myself as a first time entrepreneur and leader through the lens of being female and a mother juggling raising two children. Seven years since launching
Diwali has many different rituals and traditions, but one in particular very popular with Punjabis is gambling through the late hours of the night. Playing cards is accompanied with plenty of drinks (usually Jack Daniels or Black Label, all-time Punjabi favourites) and an incredible feast with lots of mithai (sweets)
Last month, India – one of the world’s largest democracies – celebrated 68 years of independence from British rule. We hope some of you were able to come in and celebrate with us and enjoy Chai and Pakoras on the house! I’m incredibly patriotic and proud to be Indian and
Jonathan, Our Castro Lead – Happiest Guy Alive! Many of you know and have been served by our positive Castro lead, Jonathan Abuel. I wanted to share a little of his personal history with you, as now is a very special time in his life! Jon is originally from the
Nutritional Analysis I eat at Kasa every single day and love it! My absolute favourite meal is a simple daal, rice and saag paneer combo! The premise of Kasa is founded on home-style Indian food with whole ingredients and spices. Food you can eat every single day and still remain
I was lucky enough to visit Rome a couple of weeks ago. One warm evening as I sat out on a quaint cobbled street sipping on a cocktail, eating the most fantastic soft salami focaccia sandwich I’ve ever tasted (top 10 food highlights of my life!), I wondered why I
We’re delighted to partner with our uber-talented and kind-hearted food truck designer Kyle Wai Lin and his friends and family this Saturday, Dec 21 to distribute food from the Kasa Food Truck to the homeless at St Vincent de Paul in the Tenderloin from 6p to 730p. For at least
I’m very excited to invite you to a special dinner that we’ve cheekily dubbed “Indian Laundry” at Kasa Marina on May 5th at 8:30pm. For just a few hours, we’re going to deviate from our relaxed counter-service to bring you a treat: a full-service five course sit down meal that
This Wednesday evening, April 7th, we’re going to have some fun with a ‘Trinidad Night’ at Kasa Castro. Why? For no other reason than to celebrate the wonderful Trini culture and cuisine with its strong connections to India, Africa and Britain. We’ll be serving a Trini Plate ($10.95) with: Curried
India is intriguing in so many ways. One of my personal fixations with India is the way animals and people interact so closely. India is a third of the size of the U.S. but almost four times as populated, a fact that astounds me. It’s no wonder that wherever you look,
Recently I heard that London was named among the world’s top 5 food cities by Food & Wine Magazine. I have to admit I was suprised, as when I go back home to London, I don’t usually find this amazing food they talk about. For me, San Francisco wins hands down
The saying goes, “You can choose your friends, but not your family.” In that same vein, you don’t always get to pick the people you work with despite having to spend hours with them. This fact creates a kind of ‘Work Family’ dynamic where you learn some pretty interesting facts
It’s 2010, the holiday season is over, and I’m glad! Don’t get me wrong, I kind of like the holidays…. using up all my patience putting up lights on the tree, overeating, mandatory time with the family, missing folks back home and shopping (I hate shopping!). The highlights of this holiday season for
I live my life in 5th gear! A few years ago, I realized that I needed to speed up even further if I wanted to get through the monumental list of “Things to Accomplish in my Life” as it was only halfway complete. I had put this list together when I was in
With K2 in construction and opening in less than 3 weeks (we’re shooting for December 4!), there is plenty to blog about. I literally feel like I’ve burned new neural pathways with all the new things there have been to learn. Of all the things I could write about, I feel
We were crazy enough to get into this restaurant business in the first place, and then held on for dear life as the economy went to hell. After a year and a half of the hardest and most fulfilling work of our lives, we’ve come to the realization that: 1)
After 16 months of being open, curiosity has finally gotten the better of me, and I google imaged ‘Prison Food Trays’. The reason for this strange search, is that one too many yelp reviewers have commented that they feel like they are eating on Prison trays. These comments have perplexed
The day we signed our lease on Kasa and it was officially ours was a momentous moment for us all. I think we had drinks to celebrate! Despite Kasa being a business entirely about Indian food, we now found ourselves in a world which had nothing to do with food.
Kasa went through the process of hiring a new server a couple months ago. It’s insane what a response we had to our ad. I’m honored at the number of people who were interested in working for us, but I was also overwhelmed with the interviewing process. It’s exhausting! It
In case you don’t know, Kasa Caters. We go downtown for corporate lunches, we do birthday parties, we do church lunches, school fundraisers and we even did our first big wedding this past weekend in the Russian River. I’m in charge of most of everything related to catering, but my
This Saturday from 5pm onwards at Kasa, we’ll be offering a real Punjabi treat for the first time: Aloo (potato), Keema (minced lamb) and Gobi (cauliflower) Parathas. I’m dedicating this special to my grandma (Bari Ma), who is unfortunately suffering from the after-effects of a severe stroke. This is the frailest I have
I wonder what the ebb and flow of delivery patterns truly are. Some are obvious: rainy day = busy delivery night. Other evenings, there appears to be no rhyme or reason as to why a lot of people at the same time think, “I want Indian delivery from Kasa.” (I’m not complaining
This entry is dedicated to my cousin in London, who is about to have family from India come to visit. The Punjabi extended family is as rich and complex as the cuisine. Familial responsibilities, obligations and levels of respect have depths that are difficult to put into words. I don’t
Hi, I’m the gringo you’ll most likely see behind the register when you come to Kasa. It’s time for me to make a guest appearance on what has essentially (and thankfully) been Anamika’s blog. She has far more interesting things to say than I do. If you haven’t read Christian Lander’s now-famous blog, Stuff
It’s raining and windy today. All kinds of things are canceled and it’s starting to affect my mood. I want to stay cozied up in bed. To worsen things, I’m wondering how this may negatively affect business. I walk the 18th St corridor as usual to get to Kasa and
(Note: Guest post from one of the coolest Kasa staffers we’ve ever had. He’s currently on the Appalachian Trail for the next three months, craving Indian food no doubt. We hope to have him back in our midst when he’s done.) I always thought the best thing about Kasa was
Slumdog Millionaire, set in the slums of Mumbai, is playing at the Castro Theatre on Friday night. I’m going to do a tribute to one of my favourite cities in the world and make Kasa’s Friday special to honor the ultimate street food of Mumbai. The question is…what is the ultimate
It seems like our whole family is into the world of restaurants. Suresh has a large family. Three older sisters and brothers-in-law (two sets of whom own Chaat Cafe), a bunch of nephews and nieces, their wives and of course his parents. Whenever we get together, the focus is almost
I had the blues today. Not entirely sure why, but I had them. It could have been the hangover I had from the wonderful Malbec I enjoyed at Hotel Biron yesterday with Suresh on my much deserved night off, or it could have just been life. Unfortunately I’m prone to
So I’m the third member of the Kasa ownership team, the most invisible because I kept my day job in order to keep the lights on should Kasa stumble and, most painfully, the one who chose the short straw and became Kasa’s Chief Financial Officer. The best thing about being
Kati Roll Madness Deepa Mehta? I’d never heard her name until Saturday night just gone (though I’d seen her controversial movies Water and Fire). I guess she may never know just how exhausted she got us all at Kasa. Our naivety as first time restaurant owners shows up despite the leaps
Before opening the restaurant, roti was my biggest fear. The food I was super confident with. Even if I didn’t have a soul to help me, I could manage the food all by myself. The roti though! You need skill, speed and strength to put out a huge number of
Before opening the restaurant, roti was my biggest fear. The food I was super confident with. Even if I didn’t have a soul to help me, I could manage the food all by myself. The roti though! You need skill, speed and strength to put out a huge number of
We’re super excited to launch the Kasa blog. We opened in June 2008, and it’s been a dead sprint since around January 2008 to get things running smoothly. We’re now coming up for air and can launch the long planned blog. Here’s some of the stuff we hope to write
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