T-R PHOTO BY ROBERT MAHARRY Grundy Center Mayor Paul Eberline, center, cuts the ribbon at Curry-n-Grill at 2201 Commerce Dr. Ste. 2 on Thursday evening flanked by three of the new restaurant’s owners, Chandu and Sweetha Bheemavarapu and Uma “Mahee” Maddireddi.

GRUNDY CENTER — For a small town, Grundy Center has long boasted a wide variety of dining options for residents and visitors, and the community’s newest restaurant brings a completely new set of flavors to the table.

Curry-n-Grill has been open for about three weeks now, and three of the owners, Chandu and Sweetha Bheemavarapu and Chandu’s cousin Uma “Mahee” Maddireddi, welcomed representatives from the Grundy Center Chamber-Main Street organization and Mayor Paul Eberline for a grand opening and ribbon cutting at 2201 Commerce Dr. Ste. 2 on Thursday evening. Chandu told the small crowd gathered that they were excited to be up and running.

“I don’t know how to express my gratitude, so I’m really happy. Thanks for making this evening so successful,” he said.

Eberline, who was re-elected to his office on Tuesday, reciprocated the praise.

“We are extremely, extremely pleased that you are here. Thank you for taking the time, taking the investment (and) making the investment to broaden Grundy Center,” he said. “We thank you so much.”

Chandu explained that after opening their first restaurant in Cedar Rapids, the ownership group, which also includes two out-of-state investors, researched potential expansion opportunities somewhere near Waterloo/Cedar Falls and eventually settled on the building on the west edge of Grundy Center. He, Mahee and Sweetha then offered a tour of their kitchen before inviting the guests of honor to enjoy the bold flavors of their home country.

During a subsequent interview, Chandu, who lives in Des Moines, told the T-R that at the Cedar Rapids restaurant, the vast majority of their customers are American, and once they try Indian food, it doesn’t take long before they come back for more.

“We are really honored to explain each and every food that we make to each and every customer, whether they like the creamy food, the spicy food or the sweet food,” he said.

Butter chicken, tikka masala, samosas and garlic naans are the most common “introductory” items for newcomers to the cuisine, but Curry-n-Grill features an expansive menu with all sorts of options. Chandu noted that growing up in India, American fast food restaurants like KFC and McDonald’s were extremely popular, so it’s been fun to bring the dishes he grew up with to a part of the U.S. where many people may have never tried it.

Eberline, for one, can’t wait to become a frequent customer.

“Anytime you get something special coming to a small community, it’s just another example of what small towns need to do to stay current, to stay fresh, and we’re excited that Chandu and Mahee have chosen to come to Grundy Center. It should be a really nice fit, and we’re excited to have them here,” he said.

The restaurant will be open every day except Tuesday and can be reached at (319) 344-4300. The hours are 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 5 to 9 p.m. on Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday and 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and 5 to 9 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.

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Contact Robert Maharry

at 641-753-6611 ext. 255 or

rmaharry@timesrepublican.com.