"Saffron Valley founder Lavanya Mahate grew up in southern India and later attended school in the western part of the country, where she developed a love of street food. She moved to the U.S. in 2001 and began selling her proprietary spice blends at SLC’s Downtown Farmers Market. She went on to open her first restaurant, Saffron Valley Indian Street Food Cafe, and now has multiple locations, including in the Avenues and Sugarhouse neighborhoods. The mini-chain prides itself on the largest Indian buffet in Salt Lake, with a menu that features dishes such as deconstructed samosas (mashed potatoes, sweet peas, roasted cumin, and ginger), bone-in goat curry (with mustard, fenugreek, curry leaves, and sambhar spice), and gulab jamun soaked in aromatic syrup. Through the restaurant, Mahate works with the Utah Refugee Training and Education Center to provide free culinary training to refugees and disadvantaged youth, including paid internships and job placement assistance." - Sarah Entwistle
