Saucemaker-in-Chief Martin Sreshta was born in Bangalore, India. Educated as a computer science engineer, Martin has worked with multiple Fortune 500 companies, but his true passion is cooking. He started cooking after moving to the United States in 1995, when he realized there was a wow factor he could get from hungry eaters and made it his hobby to feed his clubbing friends late at night (when food tastes best). Eventually, he left the corporate IT world and decided to follow his dream to start a restaurant. “I’m doing what I love and love what I do,” Martin says. “I care about making this world a better place in small ways, supporting the local and healthy food revolution and building a strong local community.” In his abundance of spare time, Martin loves music, dancing, parties and playing tennis.

Sujata Rajaram, chef

One-half of the super duo who prepares the South Indian Brunch at Martin’s on Sundays, Sujata Rajaram has always dreamed of venturing into the culinary arts. Sujata is a mother as well as a Montessori-trained educator with a background in nutrition and child development. She spends her weekdays teaching in a Pre-K classroom and is able to pursue her culinary interests on the weekends at the restaurant, where she shares Martin’s desire to serve healthy, fresh, high-quality food and where she enjoys the great team spirit that Martin has cultivated. Sujata grew up in Bombay and lived in New York before settling in Cary. She enjoys reading, gardening and baking and cares deeply about making a difference in the lives she touches. She’s apparently making an impact on some young tastebuds, too, having recently overheard one of her students tell another, “You should eat at Ms. Sujata’s restaurant on Sunday. The food is yummy!”

Carl Draus, web consultant

After a long career at IBM and a short stint as a Realtor, Carl Draus established Be1stOnline Marketing. He began honing his technical skills over 20 years ago in parallel with the birth and growth of the Internet. Carl brings to the online marketing field the project management, problem solving, research, communication, technical and marketing skills to manage online marketing campaigns of any scale. One of his recent projects has been working with Martin to develop MartinsCurryRice.com, integrating convenient features such as online ordering with dynamic content.