WUsing various angles of the metal skillet, Dharmesh Yadav skillfully maneuvers another curry across the surface. The aromas smell divine.

He’s made it countless times, but each meal requires precision and focus to get it just right.

It is this attention to quality and consistency that has made Divine India one of the most enduring takeaways on the Kāpiti Coast.

Located in the Kāpiti Lights business district in the heart of Paraparaumu, this popular Indian eatery has been run by Dharmesh and his wife Rina for the past 15 years.

The couple, who have been married for 30 years, came to New Zealand from Mumbai, India, in 2004 to run two Indian restaurants – one in Rotorua and one in Taupō – for Dharmesh’s sister and husband, who were relocating to Australia.

After both businesses were sold, Dharmesh and Rina moved south where he worked at a fish and chip shop in Lower Hutt.

He then became the manager of a new Indian restaurant in Paraparaumu and then, less than a year later and after the residency was secured, an opportunity arose to buy the nearby Curry To Go.

They bought the business in February 2008 and quickly changed the name to Divine India, changed the recipes, changed the decor and changed the layout.

With the groundwork laid, they began building their Indian takeaway empire, and customers responded positively.

“We have a very good relationship with our customers, the food is always consistent and we never compromise on our quality,” said Dharmesh.

“We enjoy making customers happy and offering them good value for money.

“The success of our company is that the customers keep coming back.”

The menu has 29 non-vegetarian dishes and 22 vegetarian dishes.

“Some of these are our specialities, including Punjabi, Makhanwala and Kashmiri.

“People who have eaten our Punjabi curry have ordered it again and again.”

He also praises Rina’s tandoori bread skills and recommends her masala paneer naan.

“She’s doing very well.”

Not surprisingly, butter chicken is the most popular dish.

“If someone orders five curries, or three curries, or two curries, the first thing they’ll order is butter chicken.”

Daily freshness is important and they buy their meat direct from M and M Master Butchers on Kāpiti Road, Paraparaumu.

“Frankie Manclark, the owner, was the guy who supplied us with meat when we opened the shop.

“He used to work for Preston’s [butchery] before the opening of M and M Master Butchers.”

The only product that Divine India freezes is shrimp.

Divine India is a bit dated as it has no real online presence other than a Facebook page and has recently joined Delivereasy.

“It’s all word of mouth,” Dharmesh said.

Any day Divine India is open it can get very busy, especially on Friday and Saturday nights when the wait can be an hour and a half.

It’s an impressive operation considering it’s just the two of them running the business.

While there are a number of factors in Divine India’s success, Dharmesh points out the most important ones.

“The success of my business lies with my wife Rina and my son Harsh.”

– This article appears in the latest Fall/Winter magazine, Celebrating Kāpiti.