Meherwan and Molly Irani are the husband-and-wife duo behind Chai Pani Restaurant Group and Spicewalla. Since opening the flagship Chai Pani location in Asheville, NC in 2009, Molly, Chief Hospitality Officer, and Meherwan, Chef and CEO, have grown Chai Pani into a nationally celebrated brand with a team of over 300 people, seven restaurants across the Southeast and Washington, D.C., and a growing spice empire. Together, Molly, Meherwan, and their team earned the James Beard Foundation's award for Outstanding Restaurant in 2022, all while changing the perception of Indian food in America and building a groundbreaking internal hospitality culture, leading with a foundational belief that to be in the service industry is to be “of service” to humanity.
In the first episode of season two, Meherwan and Molly join Steve for a conversation about the power of their restaurants’ impact on Southern cuisine, the value of business growth while not losing the soul of your company, the importance of taking care of your people, and the true meaning of hospitality.
Thank you to The Flat Iron Hotel for allowing us to use their space to film this episode.
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