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Without Meditation, Saransh Oberoi May Never Have Opened Masala Street

Oberoi began practicing meditation to help recover from an injury

By Archana Ram May 21, 2018

Without Meditation, Saransh Oberoi May Never Have Opened Masala Street — Illustration by Holly Exley

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“I lifted a heavy stock pot by myself, and my spine gave in,” says Saransh Oberoi, chef and co-owner of La Jolla’s Masala Street. “I was disabled, then slowly started getting paralyzed on my right side. I was unable to work, I lost everything—so we had to move to San Diego. My in-laws were here.”

Oberoi began practicing meditation, which he says helped him recover. “When I started to walk, my dad and wife said, ‘If you can walk and you can move, let’s start a restaurant.’”

His father is celebrated chef Hemant Oberoi, who’s cooked for India’s famed Taj hotel group. Together they opened Masala Street in December 2016 with a menu of elevated Indian food, like samosa tacos and brie naan with truffle.

“Most of the menu was basically a lot of arguments between us. That’s how we work,” he jokes. “Not only do I get to work with him, I get to learn from him.”