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Rajni and Sunny Baweja at home with Yuvraj (left) andAryan (right) | PAINTING: Taking a cue from this Indian abstract painting, the Bawejas decorated the front parlor in a complementary earthy color scheme.
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KURTA: A hand-embroidered kurta was made for their son Yuvraj by Baweja’s mom back in India.
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RUG: The Bawejas brought back a 12-by-14-foot handmade wool area rug from India’s Kashmir region.
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CHAI KETTLE: A copper kettle from Baweja’s hometown is used for decoration instead of serving chai. “It’s too pretty to use,” he says.
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BANGLES: For parties and special occasions, Rajni wears vibrant bangles. She has kept her chooda (wedding bracelets) to remember their wedding day in India.
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SILVER CUP: A copper and silver water glass from India is used for drinking water. “It keeps your mind cool,” says Baweja, “which means you are at peace.”
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HINDU GODS: Baweja’s brother Rajesh gave them a gold-plated leaf adorned with the symbol for Lord Shiva, the “destroyer of evil” in Hinduism.
Standing in the kitchen of his Short Pump home, Sandeep “Sunny” Baweja gingerly slices an avocado as he talks about growing up in Northern India’s Punjab region. “It’s an amazing place,” the owner of Lehja says. “It’s all about food, food and food.”
Baweja and his wife, Rajni, have prepared a delicious breakfast spread of upma (Indian grits), turmeric-spiced quinoa, veggie scrambled eggs, sourdough toast and fresh fruit.
Just a five-minute drive from the restaurant, the Bawejas’ two-story brick home is at the end of a cul-de-sac in Twin Hickory. It’s a quiet corner of the neighborhood where their sons Aryan, 11, and Yuvraj, 5, can play on the grassy hill next to their home.
“Punjab food is our strength,” explains Baweja of the food served at Lehja. While the restaurant serves classic Indian dishes, Baweja also showcases the flavors of his hometown with food like Amritsari kulcha, a savory flatbread.
Although food was always important to Baweja's family, cooking didn’t come to him until later. “When I was very young, I still remember that if my mom said ‘Help me in the kitchen,’ I would say, ‘I can do the cleaning,’” he says and laughs. His mom, an accomplished home cook, made spicy vegetarian dishes. And although his dad passed away when he was 13, Baweja still can recall the flavors of his lemon chicken.
Baweja went to Dayanand Anglo-Vedic College in Jalandhar where he received his bachelor’s in economics and English and a master’s in business when he was 19. After graduating, he spent his mornings working as a teacher at the elementary school where his mom was principal.
For the rest of the day, he worked as a marketing executive at the theme park Wonderland. When he was 23, Baweja was general manager of the park, overseeing its restaurants. While balancing these two jobs, Baweja also managed to work a third job, doing public relations for The Times of India newspaper.
He and Rajni were married in India in 2004, and then they moved to Williamsburg in 2005 to be near her family who owned the Nawab Indian Cuisine restaurants in the Hampton Roads area. Baweja stepped into a management role for the Nawab restaurants, and eventually found his way into the kitchen. Although he had no formal culinary training, Baweja’s love of food guided him.
The Bawejas moved to Richmond in 2010 to open Lehja with Rajni’s brother Ashok Arora, and in its 8 years the restaurant has garnered much praise. At Lehja, Baweja exudes a warmth and generosity that makes you feel as if you’re gathered around his table at home.
