Edmonton South Asian communities lament arson of ‘sacred’ businesses

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Riaz Khan woke up early Tuesday morning with his worried daughter and a series of texts about the family restaurant.

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Not long after, he arrived at the Millwoods Regional Shopping Center. What he saw left him speechless.

“It was eight in the morning and everything was in the flames,” he said. “There was so much smoke there, about 12 fire trucks. It was just a shock. I didn’t know what to say. Just a shock.”

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“I was just standing next to my car,” he recalled. “The firefighters tried to talk to me and I couldn’t even talk to them.”

The owner of the chutney, Khan, is one of dozens of small business owners who picked up debris after the fire. Police said 25 businesses were destroyed and millions of losses totaled.

Suspicious cause: arson.

A local food writer says businesses on 92 Street and 34 Avenue are more than just strip malls.

“Thirty-four squares, it’s sacred to our community,” Ramneek Singh said. “Before the internet, kids who grew up in the 90s kept us connected with our roots in terms of food. Spice Center was also affected, and that’s where we shot Bollywood movies, and that’s where we got Punjabi albums. If it weren’t for that field, then a lot of us didn’t understand our culture.”

Police said the fire began before 12:55 a.m. on April 8. When first responders arrived, the building was engulfed in flames.

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Khan opened chutney 15 years ago with his sister and brother-in-law in West End of Edmonton, serving halal foods in halal foods including Pakistani kebabs, biryani, kormas and vegetarian foods. Five years ago, it opened a second location on the south side, expiring the lease for the original location.

As of Saturday morning, Khan had not been granted access to the restaurant, but was told it had suffered extensive smoke and water damage.

“We are growing up and there will be another location soon,” he said. The restaurant may find another kitchen to cater to summer banquets (some booked a year ago), but there is still a lot of air.

Singh found chutney on “Odyssey” to find the best butter chicken in Edmonton, and he started a Gofundme to help Khan and pay his 10 employees while the agency stood up again.

Singh is used to “watering”, a classic western dish, and is very excited when he tried the butter chicken in chutney. He recently worked with celebrity chef Pati Jinich Pan – American The show on PBS will highlight Edmonton in an episode next month.

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“The chutney gave me what I needed,” he said. “It’s just real food, it tastes like it should be tasted, and it has the right spice level.”

He said the wall inside was a “celebration culture” decorated with the legendary Pakistani musician’s “Mount Rushmore”.

Khan learned that the police believed the fire was fired on purpose.

“I’ve been in business for the last 30 years,” he said. “I’ve never seen such a fire. It’s ridiculous – someone is trying to hurt businesses, small businesses.”

Although police did not contact directly, Singh said the community was on the edge after a series of blackmailed Asens targeting South Asian home builders.

“It’s unfortunate, but has been plaguing our community for the past year or so, all of these ransom problems and fires,” he said. “I just hope this isn’t an extension that way.”

Singh said shopping malls provide a lifeline for new immigrants to feel homesick. Before a happy occasion like a wedding, families will visit fabric stores to buy textiles from India.

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“We all have a forest kid growing up there,” Singh said. “It’s sad because I have a feeling that if 34 Avenue Plaza does not exist, many of us can’t speak our native language or will not watch our movies. We know nothing about our state.”

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