South Asian supermarket owner Jatin Vyas is bringing a taste of South Asia to Newmarket.
Panchratna Supermarket is a one-stop shop selling food, spices and snacks at 130 Davis Dr., unit 7B. Though it opened its doors a few weeks ago, the supermarket held its official grand opening Friday to coincide with Holi, the ancient Hindu festival, also known as the festival of spring.
Joined by Newmarket Councillors Victor Woodhouse and Bob Kwapis, Bradford Councillor Raj Sandhu, and Newmarket Deputy Mayor Tom Vegh, with the assistance of Vyas' six-year-old daughter Veeha, they cut the ribbon to officially open the supermarket.
Vegh also presented Vyas with a certificate and welcomed the family to Newmarket.
In attendance to help Vyas and his wife, Akshita, celebrate were the Samosa Masters who operate a commercial kitchen in the back of the supermarket.
"This location is fantastic. You are absolutely right in making this investment because I'm sure the community will continue supporting you throughout making a success out of it," said Kwapis.
Vyas, a Bradford resident, said the supermarket will enable members of the South Asian community to find the spices and ingredients they need, while also providing residents who are new to South Asian delicacies the opportunity to try it.
"The best spices in the world are mostly Indian," Vyas said proudly, "We have all the spices so people can come see, buy."
Vyas said he opened the supermarket "because I want to help with the community, so this is a way to help."
Without a local place to shop for these products, residents are often forced to travel to other GTA locations to find what they need, he said, and that makes it difficult to buy last-minute items.
"I help the community, that way if they don't want to go far, they come here and buy the stuff. The motto is help to the community."
Sandhu thanked Vyas for choosing to open a South Asian supermarket in Newmarket so the Bradford Indian and Asian communities will no longer have to travel long distances to buy the ingredients they need.
Choosing exactly what products to stock will be a learning process, Vyas said, but once he gets to know the community and what his customers want, he can "slowly, slowly" start stocking it. He welcomes suggestions from customers so he can cater to their needs.
Vyas and his wife emigrated from India 20 years ago and settled in Simcoe County. Vyas is also the owner of a Gino's Pizza in Bradford.
In the Indian community, Vyas said, parents instill a strong work ethic in their children. His father taught him to work hard and that is a lesson he plans on passing onto his children.
At age 10 and six, his kids are too young to work in the supermarket but Vyas said he plans to hand it down to his son one day and hopes his own hard work now help make things a little easier for his son.
"I work hard and when I retire, my boy can run this. Still working hard but not like starting at zero."
