New Gympie restaurant Delights of India to open with a bang in CBD

The restaurant’s head chef - a former London Chef of the Year - has worked in restaurants in Frances, Singapore and Germany for almost half a century

Manpreet Kaler is opening her first restaurant, Delights of India Gympie, with a bang on Mother’s Day.

When it comes to launching a new business, Manpreet Kaler is doing it with a bang.

The Delights of India owner’s new restaurant venture (and her first solo effort) will not only be launching on Mother’s Day in Gympie, but doing so with the help of a chef who has previously won a string of awards including Chef of the Year in London.

The 27-year-old said this new venture was the next logical step on her career path.

“I’ve been working in restaurants for the past eight years,” Ms Kaler said.

She started as a kitchen hand before working at Mexican and Italian restaurants.

Manpreet Kaler says if she could cook Mexican and Italian, why not Indian?

Now Ms Kaler is moving into a cuisine with a personal connection.

“If I can cook Mexican and Italian, why not Indian?”

The former Brisbane resident moved to the region, in part, to be closer to her family – her brother had a restaurant at Rainbow Beach – but also because regional business had its benefits.

“There are thousands of restaurants in Brisbane,” she said.

“People only go wherever they like the first time; there are heaps of restaurant that are almost empty (in Brisbane).”

Ms Kaler is launching the restaurant on Mother’s Day.

Ms Kaler said cooking had always been her passion, one she had followed through the educational halls having attained a Bachelor of Hospitality, a Diploma of Leadership Management and Diploma for Business.

She said the business was also being boosted by her head chef, who had come up from Sydney and had 48 years of experience including working in Germany, France and Singapore.

But while the food and hospitality part of the business was second nature, the paperwork was not.

“It’s very hard … I know the things we need in the restaurant but I really don’t know the legal things,” she said.

“This is the big challenge for me.”

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Originally published as New Gympie restaurant Delights of India to open with a bang in CBD