SHORT PUMP, Va. -- For some, dining out at Sunny Baweja's award-winning Indian restaurant Lehja is a special occasion meal. Now the chef nominated by the James Beard Foundation as the best in the Mid-Atlantic is doing something special for the people on the front lines fighting the virus in Virginia.
"If you are a healthcare provider and don’t have time to cook your lunch or dinner, please call us at Lehja and just mention, we will provide you a free hot lunch or dinner on us on every Monday and Thursday," he wrote in a social media post. "You need not to even come in, stay in our curbside, and we will bring the food to you with no contact. Just mention what would you like ( Chicken or Veg ) and we will pack Basmati Rice/ Butter Naan with that also."
This offer, he said, is only for healthcare providers at this time.
"We will try our level best, if we can further extend it to our industry people who are currently in such a condition to not afford to have a proper meal (and believe me I know so many of us)," he added.
While the dining room at the Short Pump restaurant is closed, Baweja and his staff are still cooking up to-go orders and offering limited delivery in some nearby neighborhoods.
Baweja said it was heartwarming to see the response from some in the community to the plight of restaurant workers at this time. He said one man drove from Church Hill to Short Pump and ordered extra food in a sign of support.
Click here to see other restaurants offering special to-go menus.