A familiar aroma has been flowing around campus, and its traces don’t lead to the cafeteria at American River College. In fact, this aroma comes from the Tandori Bites Cuisine food truck located in the Portable Village at ARC. 

There is always a line of hungry students here from all walks of life deciding on what exactly to try from the food truck’s extensive menu.  

I proceeded to get the owner’s “most popular meal,” called the CTM plate, which consists of  tandori chicken covered in a yellow curry sauce resting on a bed of yellow and white rice with a salad on the side. The chicken was tasty and filling with every bite, and the mild but flavorful curry sauce and rice were a perfect balance to the meal, which was delivered promptly after ordering. 

The owner of Tandori Bites, Farrukh Hashmi, has been in the food business for the last 20 years and approaches customer service differently than most typical business owners. 

Watching Hashmi not hassle a student that was short on her purchase showed me that he could relate to a struggling student’s circumstances if they needed a meal and couldn’t afford it all at the moment. 

“The students here are very pleasant to deal with,” Hashmi said. “So when they come by short, sometimes I don’t turn them away.” 

 “What attracted me was seeing someone else eating the colorful looking food, which made me wonder what it was,” theater arts major, Akylah Bowens said. 

Bowens said she was sold on Tandori when she noticed they had a vegan-friendly platter option available. 

There aren’t many veggie options on campus, so this is a healthy alternative to the food available on campus. 

“The food at Tandori has flavor, it’s healthy and it has good prices. It also adds to our campus’s culture,” Bowens said. 

There is not an item on the menu over $9, which is not too bad for anyone on a budget.  

“I ordered the Mango Lasse, ” music business major, Chauncee Boyd said. She also recommended the Tandori Chicken platter with naan bread and a side of salad.

Hashmi has flavorful options for meat eaters and non-meat eaters. The food at Tandori Bites is always hot when received and leaves a taste and smell that will have you back the next time you’re thinking of getting some grub while at school.