A new Indian grocery store and restaurant will open soon in Hacienda Plaza at 5690 Stoneridge Drive. Sri Venkateswara Grocery & Kitchen is a family owned business being built from scratch by Sreenivasa Badathala and his wife, Suneetha, who will manage the business together. They plan to open their new business in the last week of August.

"Sri Venkateswara Grocery and Kitchen brings a piece of home to the Indian Community in the Tri-Valley area," says Badathala. "We have tasked ourselves with providing a clean and refreshing environment in which our customers can not only obtain quality products and healthy vegetarian foods but also authentic Indian flavors. We envision being firmly rooted in this community as a social hub for all enthusiasts of Indian food and culture."

The new business specializes in South Indian goods and services. In addition to stocking products and serving meals, Sri Venkateswara Grocery & Kitchen will also deliver groceries and food. As a store owned and managed by members of the South Indian community with extensive knowledge of South Indian products and many years of experience with an Indian customer base, the company is in touch with the needs of the community and well-equipped to fulfill them, according to Badathala.

"We want to bring to our customers a taste of their mom's kitchen," he notes. "That means fresh homemade batters, sweets, pickles, chutneys, and curries from the family cookbook. We also carry all items families require to celebrate special occasions and Indian Festivals."

Badathala has been in the business for 20 years, and is adept at facing new problems every day and finding creative ways to solve them, he says. "There was once an older Indian lady who came to me looking for a traditional herbal toothpaste she had used as a child that helped with her sensitive teeth. She said she had been to every store in the Bay Area and couldn't find it anywhere. In fact, I had never heard of it myself. But I promised her I'd help her find it, I called around asking for it, and I had it for her in two days."

A staff of 10 will be working at the new grocery and restaurant. Visitors might be surprised by the range of products it carries, from the must-haves to the rare finds that they did not even know they needed, according to Badathala. That range of products is one way Badathala helps the community but it is not the only way.

"It is a very scary thing to transition to living in a new place–everything from taking the bus to a store, to finding the right groceries to even lighting the stove is different and takes some getting used to," he says. "As an immigrant myself, I find it very satisfying to help the immigrant community find their feet anyway I can. From helping people find the supplies they need on a day-to-day basis to a little thing like showing them how to get gas for their car, I have and will always be happy to lend a hand."

Badathala and his wife say they are grateful to have been warmly welcomed into the community. "Being firmly rooted in this community is a part of our mission statement. We are here to stay, and here to grow along with you. Our business will be opening towards the end of August and we would love to have the Hacienda community join us for the grand opening and ribbon-cutting ceremony."

For more information about Sri Venkateswara Grocery & Kitchen, please visit its Facebook page at www.facebook.com/svgindianmarket, call 925-223-6096, or call 925-623-2227.