The Curry Pot
Many of you know the delicious flavors and thoughtful dishes of Wooster’s local nearby Indian restaurant, The Curry Pot. Owned and operated by Renoy and Tania Barua, they got their start at Local Roots. As they grew in popularity and their culinary creations took off, FoodSphere Board Members and Local Roots Staff offered Curry Pot support in their expansion into a new and exciting season of growth. Tania remembers how their now bustling pickup and delivery business started as the seed of an idea to sell packaged, pre-prepared Indian meals and foods on a small scale. Her husband, Renoy, was scaling up their home cooked meals to prepare for the week ahead as they managed the schedules of two full time jobs and their two small children. As he began to create and develop his recipes, they were on the search for a commercial kitchen to work from, which led them to Local Roots. In the initial discussion with Executive Director, Adam Schwieterman, the Baruas mentioned down the line they would like to open a restaurant. Adam encouraged them to take over the Saturday Lunch spot from the beginning. They were nervous about this leap, but even after just the first week, they only had a few meals left, which went to the to-go cooler and sold out the same day. It was clear something truly special and delicious was afoot. They note how starting at Local Roots was a great way to take a first step. There is no contract of time required, so they could test the waters without being roped into something before they knew how things would go. And renting time in the commercial kitchen meant less startup costs. Local Roots also offers an entry point of a customer base and social media/web presence which allowed them a steppingstone to bring their talents to the Wooster community. When it came time to expand to their own stand-alone operation, Renoy and Tania collaborated with FoodSphere board members to get organized legally, setup accounting systems, and search through a few different potential buildings eventually leading the Curry Pot to their current location at 206 Beall Ave. down the street from Local Roots. Renoy and Tania have worked hard to build what the Curry Pot has become today, and FoodSphere and Local Roots were proud to offer a steppingstone and a piece of the story. Offering small businesses and local food entrepreneurs support for their operations and a potential incubator for their growth is what FoodSphere is all about. You can find Curry Pot on Facebook at: www.facebook.com/thecurrypotwoosterohio and Instagram at @thecurrypotwoosterohio. Their website: www.thecurrypot.org is where you can place an online order for pickup. You can also order delivery from them on Doordash, GrubHub, and Woosh. If you haven’t already, be sure to check them out. They have a wide variety of delectable dishes for all; meat eaters, vegetarians, and vegans alike. Thank you for chatting with us Renoy & Tania. We love your food and have loved watching your business grow!
Boo Bears Brew
One of the local business we have had the privilege to watch grow within the walls of Local Roots is the Boo Bears Brew Coffee Shop. A favorite hangout spot of many in Wooster, Boo Bears now has two locations, one within Local Roots and a second location in Old Main at the College of Wooster. The coffee is carefully curated by owner, Seth Feikert, who sources his products and materials from local distributors. In 2018, 18 year-old Seth had a dream of selling coffee from a mobile airstream he planned on fixing up. While renovating, Seth set up his first coffee pop up at Flex Yoga nearby for Wooster's annual Window Wonderland event. Local Roots Executive Director Adam Schwieterman was in attendance and approached Seth with the idea of opening at Local Roots. Testing the waters with another espresso pop-up at Local Roots on May 11, 2019, the plans to build a coffee shop within Local Roots began. Seth worked diligently setting up his service counter and espresso station. He may have only been 19 years old but Seth knew a lot about coffee, a passion that started in high school. He notes how much he valued the support Local Roots gave in the early days of his venture such as, advice on point of sale systems, inventory tracking and helpful business management practices. Boo Bears opened on the same day as their first pop-up at Local Roots a year later on May 11, 2020. Even amid the pandemic, Seth’s business grew and became a staple in Wooster. Just two years later the College of Wooster reached out to Local Roots to explore partnering with various local businesses to support their dining program. Adam notes he put on his FoodSphere cap of sorts and helped connect Boo Bears with the college and support the entrepreneurial spirit. Their second location at the college has become extremely popular with the students and is almost always full of folks enjoying each other’s company and a fresh, thoughtfully brewed cup of coffee. Seth notes “Local Roots helped give me the roots for establishing a wonderful community of like-minded people.” This fits with Boo Bears mission of "more than just coffee," as they strive to build a stronger downtown community by offering a safe and welcoming environment inside their shops. In addition to being delicious, Boo Bears coffee boasts an “eco-friendly consistency with their drinks, so you can expect the same high-quality drink every time, while knowing you have supported a low-waste, compost-friendly store.” You can find Boo Bears on facebook at: www.facebook.com/Boobearsbrewllc, Instagram at: @boobearsbrew and their website at: www.boobearsbrew.com. FoodSphere plans to continue to support businesses and entrepreneurs like Seth and Boo Bears and we love watching local businesses like his grow and flourish. Thank you for your fantastic coffee, Seth and for chatting with us!