Utpal Ghosh kicks up the menu at Gloria's Restaurant in Sudbury

The menu atGloria's Restaurant in Sudbury is getting an international updatethanks to the help of a staff memberwhose journey to the Nickel City is as interesting as his recipe book.

Utpal Ghoshis from Bangladesh, but his family fled the country in the early 1990swhen violence erupted against non-Muslims.

They resettled in Kolkata, India, but Ghosh wanted to pursue a degree in health care. He moved to St. Petersburg, Russia to follow that dream, but a run-in with white supremacists changed his mind.

"I had been affected twice," he said.

"They don't like the different culture people, you know. We were students there, so we used to take bus and metro, so people who were, uh, brown colour skin they easily can find us, right?"

Ghosh said his friend was put in hospital for twodays.

"He was beaten badly. So Iwas scared."

'You can do something different'

That fear drove Ghosh to live with a cousin in Montreal, in 2002, where he started working in restaurants to make ends meet.

That eventually led to a cookingjob at a Golden Griddle inOshawa, and then: a trip back to India, where Ghosh married.

When his new wife got a job at Sudbury's hospital,a friendsuggested thatGhoshapply for ajob at Gloria's in Sudbury.

"Shetold me that youbetter go and try there. It's not afranchise. You can go anddoalotof, you know if you have anything in mind, you can do something different."

Gloria's owner Bruno Michel said before he hired Ghosh four years ago, he'd never even heard of caraway seed. But, the aromatic temptations coming from his employee's lunch bag proved irresistible, and Michel decided that his customers should give it a try.

He asked Ghosh to prepare Tandoorichicken one day. New to the menu but not wholly unfamiliar to diners.

"People didn't believe it. They thought it came out fo a box," said Michel of the reaction over that first Indianmeal six months ago.

"I'vehad to parade Utpalaround to introduce him to the customers to show them that this is scratch cooking!"

Michel saidhe's so happy with the experience so far, that he hopes to introduce more international food to the menu on select days.

"I would love to say on Tuesdays, introduce anothernationality," he said.

"I'm not sure they would become menu items necessarily. But that's a possibility. HavealittleEast Indiansection next to the hot hamburgers and liver!"

Listen here to the short documentary on this storyprepared by CBC Radio host Jason Turnbull.

Morning North6:21Gloria's Restaurant in Sudbury adding a taste of India to menu

Gloria's Restaurant in Sudbury features Canadian comfort food on its menu... items like hot sandwiches, all day breakfasts, or poutine. But these days, you'll also find Indian food being offered. The CBC's Jason Turnbull went to check it out.