HORSEHEADS, N.Y. (WENY) -- A first-of-its-kind-restaurant in Chemung County held its grand opening ceremony on Friday morning. Local officials not only welcomed Mughal's Taj Mahal with a ribbon-cutting ceremony but, also welcomed new food and culture into Horseheads.
Sam Mohammed, the owner of Mughal's Taj Mahal, welcomed Mayor Kevin Adams, Village Board of Trustees, Chemung County Chamber of Commerce members, and more to kick off the grand opening and get a taste of some Indo-Pak cuisine.
Mughal's Taj Mahal has been a dream that was years in the making for Mohammed. However, the acquisition of the building, formerly known as Stoney's Casablanca Restaurant, and the remodeling process has taken about five or six months.
While the restaurant has been open for just over a month now, Friday morning marked the grand opening and ribbon-cutting ceremony, making it all official. So far, Mohammed says the restaurant has received an amazing amount of support from the community.
"I thought, like, people might not like me, but trust me, that went upside down," said Mohammed. "Because what happened when I opened it when-- before even I opened it -- I was in the process, I had thousands of people coming in asking 'When are you going to open? When are you going to open?' That gave me a lot of confidence. I said, like, this looks like something that's going to turn out really good."
Mughal's Taj Mahal serves Indian-Pakistani food, also known as Indo-Pak cuisine which, is the first restaurant of its kind in our area. In fact, local officials say it's the only Indo-Pak restaurant in Chemung County and, guests invited to the ceremony were able to get a taste in the buffet-style dining area.
"Oh my goodness, it was all delicious, but I think the biryani, the chicken biryani was absolutely my favorite, and the rice is very well done," said Renee Wheeler who is on the Board of Directors for the Chemung County Chamber of Commerce. "So, honestly, I would recommend trying it all."
Wheeler was one of many guests who boasted about the food but, that is just one of the things that Mughal's Taj Mahal is bringing to the Horseheads community. Some of today's ceremony speakers also say it brings a rich sense of culture to the area as well.
"It just signifies how diverse and how great our culture here is, in our little village of Horseheads," said Mayor Kevin Adams of the Village of Horseheads. "Here, as you can see, it visually fills up the area, the smells fill up the area. The warmth and the dedication from the owner Sam fills up our area and the business community."
Mughal's Taj Mahal is open every day from 11:00 A.M. to 10:00 P.M. every day. Mohammed says the buffet will only be open from 11:30 A.M. to 2:30 P.M, however, guests can order from the a la carte menu otherwise.
If you would like to keep up to date with the restaurant. you can check out their Facebook page for more.