Opening about 40 years ago, New Asian Village is one of Edmonton’s oldest Indian franchises.

The current manager of the westside location, Sonia Devangodi, was only six when her dad opened the restaurant.

“My dad would put together a plate with naan, butter chicken, daal, all in a platter. It was North Indian cuisine only at that time when my dad decided to open up New Asian Village,” Devangodi explained.

“Now, we offer South Indian cuisine, Chinese cuisine (and) Tandoori cuisine. All that has been added to my dad’s legacy.”

Desiring a better life for himself and his family, Devagodi’s father Harmeet Kapur immigrated to Edmonton from New Delhi, India in the 1970s.

Like many immigrants who settle in Canada, he started from scratch in a new country with little money and little stability.

“My dad was a Yellow Cab taxi driver,” she said.

But driving a taxi wasn’t lucrative enough to support his mom, wife, and, later, his three daughters so Kapur began looking for more work.

“A friend of mine could not cook, and he was looking for a cook,” Kapur said.

Food was not his passion, but it was a job Kapur had held overseas to make end’s meet.

According to Devangodi, he loved talking to people, so he decided to team up with his friend to start a new restaurant.

However, his would-be business associate backed out midway through development.

“He kind of walked away and let my dad run the show,” Devangodi said.

Devagodi says Kapur persevered because he needed to support his family financially.

“He did it to survive. Driving a taxi for 12 hours and coming to the restaurant,” she explained.

“He worked really hard.”

The city’s food scene in the 1970s and 1980s was nothing like today — at the time, there weren’t many Indian restaurants.

“There was hesitation. He was unsure. It was something he walked into, not knowing if this was going to work for Edmonton,” Devangodi said.

The original location opened up on Saskatchewan Drive in the 1980s.

“It was not easy. People didn’t know anything about Indian food,” Kapur said.

Devangodi said it took a lot to convince Edmontonians who weren’t familiar with the food to give it a try.

“It was just very different for people. As soon as they tasted it, they became regular customers,” Devangodi said.

Satwinder Bains, former director of the South Asian Studies Institute and professor emeritus at the University of the Fraser Valley, says while this kind of immigrant story is not new — not everyone gets a successful outcome.

“Coming in and starting fresh is not a new story, but it is fraught with challenges and successes,” Bains explained. “People come in wondering where the opportunities are and where I can make a difference.”

She says many immigrants would like to continue building skills and education from their home country, but circumstances may prevent some from doing so.

Bains adds she admires Kapur’s resilience, persistence and motivation.

She says an immigration boom began between the ’70s and ’80s and that at the time, the South Asian population wasn’t prominent in Canada.

“Not only did you have to be daring and tentatively go into places other people are not going into, and not having this data, you know, ‘will this work work or not work?’” Bains said.

“You’re the first kind of maverick to put this on.”

Bains says food is a great start to bridge cultures and communities.

“Food is enticing. Beautiful opportunities for people to engage because everyone loves to eat,” she said.

Devangodi credits the food, mixed with her father’s enticing personality, as part of the reasons why the franchise became so popular.

Being one of the first Indian restaurants was a bonus.

Since then, the franchise has taken new forms and new locations. The original no longer exists, but it has expanded with three locations in the Edmonton area.

Each restaurant is owned by one of Kapur’s daughters.

“He’s taken a step back now. It’s me and my sisters that run the show,” Devangodi said.

The Kapur family is hoping to keep their history while building a legacy, one dish at a time.

May is Asian Heritage Month in Canada and the theme for 2026 is “Honouring Asian Canadians: Stories that Built Canada,” recognizing the contributions Asian Canadians have made to the nation’s social, cultural, and economic life across generations.

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