From Family Legacy to Fine Dining: How Jyot Thakkar Is Revolutionizing Indian Cuisine in Toronto

Jyot Thakkar’s journey from a computer engineer to co-owner of The Secret Kitchen is a testament to the power of honoring family legacies while forging new paths. Growing up in India, where her father ran a successful catering business, Thakkar always felt the pull of the culinary world. After completing her Master’s in Computer Engineering at the University of Windsor, she chose to pivot back to her roots, driven by her father’s dream of opening a restaurant in Canada.

In an exclusive interview with Entrepreneur Loop, Thakkar shares how she partnered with celebrity chef Aanal Kotak to bring an authentic Indian fine dining experience to Toronto. The Secret Kitchen, featuring delicacies inspired by Indian royalty, represents more than just a restaurant – it’s a culmination of cultural heritage, entrepreneurial spirit, and a daughter’s dedication to fulfilling her father’s vision. Through thoughtfully crafted recipes and a unique blend of Indian and global flavors, Thakkar is redefining the landscape of Indian cuisine in Canada.

Please provide a brief introduction of yourself and your professional background.

I’ve always been passionate about food, inspired by my father’s successful catering business in India. It was his dream to open a restaurant in Canada – a dream I always wanted to fulfil. I pursued my Master’s in Computer Engineering at the University of Windsor, a path that eventually led me back to my roots. Four years ago, I ventured out on this journey with my partner and dear friend, Parul. We started by running a few small, Quick-Service Restaurants, which helped us learn the Canadian food industry. However, we felt something was missing – a real high-end Indian dining experience for guests, something that celebrates Indian cuisine. So, we partnered with celebrity chef and restaurateur, Aanal Kotak, to bring this authentic fine dining experience to Canada with The Secret Kitchen master franchise.

 

What inspired you to start your own business? What was the “aha” moment?

Back home in India, my dad owned a catering business, and I was involved in it with him since my teenage years. The culinary world always fascinated me and somewhere I knew I wanted to do something of my own one day. When my dad visited me in Canada and told me his dream was to have a restaurant in Canada, I made it my own!

 

What have been some of the toughest decisions you’ve had to make as a founder?

Every single one of them but my toughest decision has been work-life balance. As an entrepreneur and a founder, you always have to sacrifice family life, personal life, and leisure time. As a mother of two, I often have to make a decision between juggling between spending time with family and giving hours to my business.

 

What have been your key strategies for growth and gaining traction/users?

My main motive is to focus on the quality. The restaurant industry works on word of mouth, and we make sure that every customer who dines at The Secret Kitchen leaves satisfied and feeling that their dining experience was valuable. We always try to make sure all of our customers get top-notch service and quality food and every time a customer visits us, his/her experience should be unforgettable. We also wanted to make sure we create an experience for our customers and not just another restaurant. Every part of The Secret Kitchen is focused on refining that experience all the way through our interiors, our dishes and drinks, and our hospitality.

 

What have been some mistakes or failures you’ve made along the way as an Entrepreneur? How did you recover and learn from them?

As a new restaurant owner, I’m navigating several challenges as this is my very first time running a fine-dine restaurant. I worked on everything by myself from hiring contractors, finding vendors to hiring staff and chefs. In this journey, we did make some mistakes. But we became better negotiators, we learned to focus on what matters the most and mostly, how to find the right people for the job.

Managing people effectively, ensuring harmony among the staff, and mastering time management are all critical areas I’m still working on. Additionally, I’m facing the typical operational hurdles that come with running a business of this scale for the first time, which adds another layer of complexity to my daily routine and is teaching me a lot.

 

What do you know now that you wish you knew when you were first starting?

It’s never the right time, and it’s never too late to start a business.

Secondly, the hospitality business is chaotic everyday and if you want to run it successfully, you have to accept and embrace the chaos.

 

What are the most important skills someone needs to be a successful founder, in your opinion?

A successful founder cannot afford to have any one single skill especially when you are starting something from scratch. You are filling in multiple shoes at the same time. The most important skills in my opinion are dedication, risk-taking, and adaptability. Dedication fuels the drive to overcome obstacles and keep pushing forward, even when facing tough situations. One must also be willing to take calculated risks, whether it’s investing their own money, time, and resources or making bold decisions with uncertain outcomes. Adding to this, a successful founder is adaptable, able to pivot strategies, embrace change, and learn from both successes and failures.

 

What does a typical day or week look like for you? How do you manage work  lifeBalance?

My mornings are dedicated to family, with a focus on caring for my children and preparing meals. Once my older child goes to school, I have a window from around 9 AM to 3-4 PM to dedicate to business tasks. This involves overseeing my managers, and handling administrative duties such as inventory management, payroll processing, and financial tracking. Since we are a new business, a significant portion of my time is also spent sourcing suppliers and building those relationships. I try to give as much time as possible to my family but as of now I am at the restaurant before it’s open for lunch till after it’s closed, 7 days a week.

 

What do you find most rewarding and most challenging about being an entrepreneur?’

It’s rewarding that I am building this and someday, my children might see that. I strive to be an inspiration for them, which feels rewarding. The challenges of running my own business have taught me resilience and determination, and I hope it will inspire my children to pursue their own dreams with passion and hard-work.