KINGSVILLE, Texas — Zohair Charania, or as many call him — Mr. Spice, owns the Spice Station in Kingsville and has been serving up Indian cuisine since 2013.
“The spices you can already smell it, the aroma is coming,” Charania said.
His humble beginning started with selling plates of homemade food out of his apartment.
“We started in a small gas station in one table,” Charania said. “That's what we could afford that time. But now we go, we just started our 15th year now.”
But these bold flavors were made for something bigger.
“This food is meant for kings… and then the people who work for the kings to keep them stronger like to make the strong army,” Charania said. “This food has a lot of nutrition value to it, a lot of spices that keeps the immune system going.”
In 2016, the location on Eastlot Avenue became his kingdom.
Every dish tells a story.
“There is a local guy, and there was an Indian guy,” Charania said. “They were all eating, and they both were crying. I said why are you crying? Well, the Indian guy said it reminds me of back home. And then, other local guy said it's so spicy.”
Every spice holds a memory of his childhood.
“Whatever I grew up eating, I make ten different things every day that's in my past that I tried,” Charania said.
However, Charania told KRIS 6 News that winning over South Texas wasn't easy.
“People were kind of iffy about it because they are used to eating tacos, you know, migas, the good stuff, I love that too,” Charania said. “But my idea was to bring something else because there's 1200 Indian students back in the day, and there's no Indian food.”
Charania said that for many of those students, his food became a connection to home.
A reminder of tradition, made with heart.
“The difference that it made in students' lives because they're so away back away from their home 24-48 hour flight almost,” Charania said. “So when I serve this food, it brings them closer.”
Born in Pakistan, Charania moved to College Station in 2012.
He fell in love with cooking as a child, even when it went against tradition.
“My dad always keep pulling me out of the kitchen,” Charania said. “Let's go, no, let them cook. You come outside, hang out with us, this and that. My mom on the other side, she always picked me up and put me on the counter, watch.”
Today, those early family lessons live on in his recipes.
“This is one of my favorite recipes, it's a summer recipe, we drink it with some yogurt milk on the side to cool you down at the same time,” Charania said.
Charania explains that sometimes customers show up hungry before they open. Others plan their whole day around visiting the spice station.
“Every time I have friends that come in from out of town, we stop off here,” Amber Dawn Sargent, a customer, said. “It's a major thing for all my friends, especially out-of-state friends, they love to come here.”
Customers told KRIS 6 News, they love what Mr. Spice brings to the community.
“I think he makes Kingsville stand out,” Eric Stapp, a customer, said. “I think he makes what Kingsville is because I think everybody knows Kingsville for the Spice Station.”
“It's not even just for the food sometimes, sometimes just seeing him and he's very nice and very welcoming,” Dustin Frazier, a customer, said.
The Spice Stationoffers samples for those who are beginners to Indian cuisine.
