Kumar Jawa Of India Sweets & Spices Passes Away

India-West Staff Reporter

CULVER CITY, CA – Rajinder Kumar Jawa, the enterprising restaurateur and community builder who introduced generations of Southern Californians to affordable Indian vegetarian cuisine through his India Sweets and Spices stores, passed away on the night of February 16.

He is survived by his wife Debra, and their two children, Raj and Nisha. Son Raj posted that his father passed, “after nearly 6 months in various hospitals due to severe brain damage as a result of a cardiac arrest he suffered.”  He wrote, ” He will be sorely missed by his family and the entire community.”

Jawa arrived in the US in 1982 and, just two years later, founded India Sweets and Spices in Culver City. The modest storefront combined a grocery and vegetarian kitchen under one roof, an innovative concept at the time. Built with savings from jobs that included dishwashing and selling swimsuits on Venice Beach, the store grew into one of California’s best known destinations for South Asian snacks, spices, and hot meals.

He famously offered dishes such as samosas for “a dollar a dish” to university students, a gesture that helped build a loyal following.

Over the years, the business expanded to multiple locations and became especially popular among plant-based diners for its wide selection of dals, curries, chaats, dosas, and Indian sweets sold by the pound.

Today, the family continues to operate locations in Atwater Village and Park La Brea.

Congressman Brad Sherman called Jawa a friend and pillar of the community. “Kumar introduced generations of Angelenos to Indian food with his iconic India Sweets and Spices restaurant and grocery, and he helped build a true sense of community amongst our region’s Indian American residents with annual events like the India Independence Day Festival. He will be missed,” Sherman posted.

Jawa was known as approachable and generous, always focused on quality service and supporting fellow Indian Americans establishing themselves in Southern California. In 1984, the same year he launched his business, he married Debra. When their son Raj was born in 1986, Jawa marked the occasion with a community celebration at the store featuring music and free food. The gathering evolved into an annual tradition, offering a complimentary vegetarian lunch buffet to all in honor of his son’s birthday.

Beyond business, Jawa was a founding member of the India Association of Los Angeles, which organizes the annual India Independence Day celebration in the San Fernando Valley. Through both entrepreneurship and civic engagement, he helped cultivate a sense of belonging and cultural pride that endures in the community he serves.