Southern Curry House family builds a community through meals

It was food that brought Marikannan Thangaraj, Southern Curry House co-owner and head chef to Revelstoke, and it is through food his family is finding a space within the community. 

But before his journey led him to the interior in 2020, Thangaraj points to his hometown Tamil Nadu, South India as the starting point for his culinary career. Thangaraj’s degree in Catering and Hotel Science led him to places like Singapore and Dubai before traveling to Canada on a work permit for a position at Denny’s Restaurant. Shortly after earning his permanent residency two years later, Thangaraj started working at the Queen Victoria Hospital kitchen.

Now, he and his spouse and business partner Kokila Marikannan operate Southern Curry House, one of the latest culinary businesses to call Community Connections Revelstoke Society’s Neighbourhood Kitchen home.

“I’ve gotten good reviews from our community, it’s given me a lot of support,” Thangaraj said, reflecting on the two years since opening Southern Curry House. The evening take-out kitchen has expanded to pre-made meals at Southside Market and the family business is eyeing up a restaurant space in the near future.

While Thangaraj and Marikannan originally planned for Revelstoke to be a temporary stop in their move to Canada with two small children, they can’t imagine calling anywhere else home now.

“This is a safe and good environment and community, especially for the kids,” Thangaraj said.

Moving to Revelstoke during the Covid-19 pandemic, Thangaraj relied on various community resources to help him get his footing, including the local food bank. It’s there he heard about the Neighbourhood Kitchen, former home of Revelstoke’s Flourish Bakery and Little Spoon Bakery. Thangaraj jumped at the opportunity to bring his own culinary expertise to Revelstoke.

“We used to work together on either side,” he said about Alexander Hartman and Alexandra Bauer, Little Spoon Bakery owners. Now, Southern Curry House is sharing the Neighbourhood Kitchen with Gnar Burger.

“The community has made a good opportunity to run small businesses in the [Neighbourhood] Kitchen,” Thangaraj said.

The family has developed various connections in town through Southern Curry House and volunteering.

“Wherever we usually go, people usually know us. That’s a really nice feeling,” Marikannan said, adding that those who know her and Thangaraj quickly introduce them to others in Revelstoke.

“In the beginning, it’s a little bit of a struggle to meet. But once people get to know you, you have a lot of opportunities to share your experience in Revelstoke,” Thangaraj said.

One particular fan of Southern Curry House is David Evans, Mackenzie Village developer who stopped by the kitchen one evening for some meals. Marikannan soon after found an opportunity to showcase her own expertise as a structural engineer, landing a job with the Mackenzie Village team as a project coordinator.

“We would like to support the community as well. We’re going to stay, this is our hometown right now,” Thangaraj said.

With two young kids, there’s a particular food that’s becoming a go-to for quick take-out family meals.

“We have quite a lot of pizza opportunities in town,” Thangaraj said, adding that Padrino’s is currently the family go-to. But with a wide range of community restaurants open for a meal, and with more coming to town, he’s sure a new family favourite will crop up in the future. 

And he hopes Southern Curry House becomes a staple for others calling Revelstoke home.