Ranji Smile opened one of America’s first Indian restaurants in 1901
Ranji Smile, an Indian chef who became a sensation at New York’s elite Sherry’s Restaurant, opened what was almost certainly the first Indian restaurant in the United States in 1901. His restaurant, Omar Khayyam, closed within a year, showing how brief public fascination with Indian food could be despite his own celebrity.
Smile arrived in New York from London in 1899, where he had cooked at the Cecil and Savoy hotels. At Sherry’s, he served dishes including Bombay duck and performed for diners in a silk turban; backed by financier Roland R Conklin, he opened Omar Khayyam at 325 Fifth Avenue. The article says little is known about Smile’s origins or what happened to him after his restaurant closed.
In short
- Ranji Smile opened an early Indian restaurant in New York in 1901.
- Omar Khayyam closed within a year.
- Smile’s later life remains obscure.
Explained simply
Indian restaurants were rare in the United States at the start of the 20th century. Indian food was largely unfamiliar to American diners, though fashionable restaurants sometimes presented it as an exotic novelty.
Ranji Smile was an Indian chef who had cooked in London hotels before moving to New York in 1899. At Sherry’s, an elite New York restaurant, he became known for serving Indian dishes and appearing before diners in a silk turban.
His restaurant, Omar Khayyam, was backed by financier Roland R Conklin. Its short life offers a glimpse of how difficult it was for Indian food to find a lasting place in the US at the time.
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Originally published by BBC World as “The Indian chef who brought curry to America – then vanished”.