• Courtesy
• Sarita Devi at Richmond Community Kitchen

After a successful nine-month run of weekly takeout meals cooked at Richmond Community Kitchen, Sarita Devi has signed a restaurant lease for 202 Cornerstone Drive in Williston. She will open Aromas of India there in July or early August with a vegetarian menu of northern Indian dishes.

The Williston restaurant space was formerly occupied by Naru Asian Cuisine, which announced on its website that it would be closing as of June 1 because "the owner is getting ready for retirement."

Devi grew up in the state of Uttar Pradesh in northern India and moved with her husband, Yogi Singh, to Vermont in 2014 for his work in information technology. Singh said his wife grew up cooking family recipes and loves to cook for people. "It is her passion," he said. "Magic is in her hands when she is cooking."

• Melissa Pasanen ©️ Seven Days
• Samosa chaat from Sarita's Kitchen

The menu for the new restaurant will expand on the offerings of Devi's weekly takeout meals. Dishes may include spiced potato- and paneer-stuffed paratha bread; the chunky vegetable curry called pav bhaji; and the common street food samosa chaat, or crunchy samosa chunks topped with chickpeas, spiced yogurt and chutneys. Everything is made from scratch, Devi said, including the chutneys and breads.

The couple are currently sourcing equipment and refreshing the restaurant space, they said, and they are considering launching in July with takeout only before adding dine-in service in August. For updates, see @aromasofindia_vt on Instagram.