Indian chef who brought curry to America then vanished
Current overview (not historical)
Indian chef Ranji Smile vanished after bringing curry to the United States. BBC World reports he opened the restaurant Omar Khayyam in New York, gaining fame for dishes like Bombay duck and his operatic performances. He faced allegations of illegally smuggling immigrants and fraudulently claiming to be a prince, which led to the restaurant's closure. Subsequently, he was accused of enticing women and involvement in illegal immigration, damaging his reputation significantly.
Written with AI from the reporting · updated 10/31/2026
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- 1Unclassified fact stationOct 31, 10:19single sourcereport-time onlyrevised
印度厨师兰吉·微笑将咖喱带到美国后失踪
Read original source ↗ BBC WorldReplay this moment in the explorerEvidence & revisions · 1 source records
- Subject：
- Ranji Smile
- Action：
- 离开Sherry's Restaurant并开设自己的印度餐厅Omar Khayyam
- Object：
- Omar Khayyam餐厅
- Occurred (fact side)：
- not recorded
- Published (valid side)：
- Oct 31, 10:02
- First seen (known side)：
- Oct 31, 10:19
Fact stationSingle source · one-sided claimRevisedReport-time onlyCopy may have been revised later; time replay is bounded. Layer labels group reading only, not causation between layers.
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- BBC WorldRelated fact: single sourceFact occurrence time unverifiedSource report revisedIndian chef Joe Ranji Smile opened first US Indian restaurant in 1901, then vanished amid scandal
Report first recorded Oct 31, 10:19
In 1901, Indian chef Joe Ranji Smile opened what was likely the first Indian restaurant in the United States, Sherry's Restaurant on Fifth Avenue. He arrived in New York in 1899 after working as a curry cook in London, and quickly became known for theatrical service and dishes like Bombay duck. The restaurant closed after Smile was accused of smuggling workers and falsely claiming to be a prince.
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Event activity trend
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- Comparable peak
- 10Oct 31, 11:00
- 24h change
- -50%
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