I’m Vimala Rajendran, owner-chef of Vimala’s Curryblossom Café in Chapel Hill, and I run this place as a Christian mission: food is a human right, and when I cook, everybody eats. I began by making pay-what-you-can community dinners from my home. Now I contribute by creating a triangle of purpose: nourishing food, dignified work, and community care. We source locally, pay living wages, and invite all to share in the bounty—because I believe the workers, the land, and the guests are part of one family. I’m inspired by my early days in Bombay markets, by my mother in the kitchen, and by the farmers and young staff here who grow, cook, serve and dream together. The problem I seek to solve is injustice: against immigrants, against workers, against food systems that leave people out. By building a business rooted in faith, justice and joy, I hope to show that a restaurant can be more than profit—it can be healing and belonging. What I get out of this work is purpose and connection: when a guest says, “this tastes like home,” or a staff member says, “I matter,” I know the mission is real. I feel the presence of something greater guiding each meal and every table we set.