Tandoor of India: Family Inside and Out

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Food is not just an activity; it’s a source of identity that connects us to each other. When Raj Singh opened Tandoor of India alongside his brother and their wives in 2008, he wanted to share what was passed down through his family with the Rochester community – something to this day he calls love.

Raj grew up in northern India and was raised in an area mostly known for farming. He moved to the United States in 2001 and settled in the City of Buffalo, where he helped his brother Bhupinder Singh run his restaurant by mastering their household recipes.

After a few years of experience in the industry, Raj landed about 70 miles away in Henrietta, Rochester, to finally do what he always wanted: serve the same traditional food he ate as a child for others to enjoy.

“What we grew [at the farm], we also cooked at home too. So we became attached to that and it helped us bond as a family. Everything is about the food. In our culture when any guest comes into our home, we want to offer the best. So from there, we came into the restaurant line. Our job is to make you feel welcome and at home through our food,” Raj says.

Today, Tandoor of India is home to three separate locations across New York: Henrietta, Fairport, and the newest one in Niagara Falls, which opened in the summer of 2023. The restaurants are all run by Raj, their wives and family, and their close friends. Together, they open the doors every morning, prepare the food, source ingredients from local food markets, serve, and manage the business.

The Singh family prides itself on the value of making customers feel at home, an idea that extends past the restaurant walls of Tandoor of India and into the campus of RIT.

“We first spoke with RIT in 2010 because it has students from all around the world,” Raj said. “We wanted to serve on campus. Students try the food, but they are not just trying the food, they're trying spices, different spices, normally I say spice is good for life. When they take a bite, they take a bite of at least 10 to 15 different spices. I feel good when I can serve my food."

Tandoor of India has been one of the first Visiting Chefs in the Visiting Chef program at RIT, since 2011. They offer students a food experience that is difficult to find elsewhere. Students love the chicken pakora, the saag paneer, and the lamb curry over rice to name a few. Every entrée served are inherited family recipes, lovingly prepared in the Tandoor of India kitchen and brought over to the RIT campus for anyone to enjoy.

Every dish is prepared and cooked differently. Raj and his family’s restaurant have stuck to traditional methods of cooking instead of shifting to more modern techniques. In the kitchen of each Tandoor of India location sits its namesake, a tandoor, which is a clay oven used to bake naan bread and roast meat in India.

It’s the subtle details such as the use of a tandoor that makes the food served at RIT from Tandoor of India so special. The other part is love.  

“Mostly, what brings the flavor is love,” Raj said. “That's it. If we are out of something we can adjust it, but if we run out of love, we will never find the same flavor again. When we cook, we never ever forget about the human element. I never like to feel like this is just for another customer. If we are serving food to my family, my wife or kids or my parents, it's the same food here [at RIT]. The students that eat at RIT are family."

In their spare time, away from cooking and serving food at RIT and the restaurants, Raj and his family are passionate about doing things the Indian way — giving back to their community. That is why throughout the last several years, they have partnered with local groups such as Open Door Mission to help serve craft-made food to those who may not have access to it. They’ve also made strides in educating the general public about Indian cuisine and the benefits that come with diversifying eating habits.

“Many people are afraid to try different things,” Raj said. “So we did something new. We partnered with the Rush -Henrietta schools and Fairport schools area so students from the third grade to the middle school come to the restaurant as a field trip to learn about the food culture. We answer their questions and then I have them come to the kitchen so they can make their own naan bread. They now have a story that they will never forget."

As Tandoor of India continues to create new memories for community members and for students at RIT, they hold on to their everlasting family value of always serving “love.”