Jul. 28—The restaurant, open now at 93 Elm St., is a second career for Srinivasan, a former budget analyst for Customs and Border Protection.
"After I retired, I had a lot of time on my hands," she said. "I was debating what I should do, because I needed to keep busy with something."
Srinivasan said she approached the Small Business Administration, which directed her to write a proposal.
"It took me almost a year to do that, to get all my facts and information together," she said.
Her proposal accepted, Srinivasan was able to raise more than $1 million to buy her building and get the restaurant running, according to the Connecticut Small Business Development Center.
Srinivasan said that while her cooking style is influenced by her grandmother, who's from the south of India, the chef she hired is from northern India, so they have complementary palates and skills.
"Southern India tends to be a lot spicier...whereas in the north, they tend to be more meat-oriented," she said, explaining that the cooler climate in the north also means that more vegetables are able to grow there.
Vegetables are important for Srinivasan, who said she tries to only use fresh ones because they're more flavorful than their frozen counterparts.
Srinivasan clarified that the name of the restaurant doesn't refer to her; When she polled others to find a name, Curry Queen was the most popular.
She said that so far, the restaurant has received a lot of support.
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"From the Indian community, it has been intense," she said. "People have supported me individually and supported the business very, very enthusiastically, and it's not just a short-term thing. They are really interested in seeing me succeed...And then people from Old Saybrook and as far as Mystic have been here as customers because they have read about me and the food."
Srinivasan said she's planning to be in the kitchen too, at a recurring event called "South Indian Sundays" during which she will cook everything to order.
"Things will be a little slower, but at the same time, I think it will be very fulfilling," she said.