About me:

Franklin Philips and Tobin George have been buddies since childhood. They grew up dreaming of opening businesses and buying and selling stock. Barely into their teens, they convinced their parents to sign off as custodians of their trading account so they could legally trade stocks! When Franklin graduated cum laude from Pace University, he began working Manhattan internships with Con Edison, IBM, UBS Financial, Lehman Brothers, and USA Today. At lunch, or hanging out with Tobin, he began frequenting the New York City street vendors that sold grilled chicken and lamb mixes and kabobs. “The lines would extend around the block,” says Franklin. “We heard about these vendors virally, by word-of-mouth. The taste of the grilled meats served with bread and a special sauce was so good, you just had to tell someone!” Working in the ‘real world’ environment of mid-town Manhattan, Franklin continued to sharpen his skills in accounting, finance, business, and technology. Then late one evening, Franklin had the idea that would become the “Samosa Cabana Indian Grill.” Franklin told Tobin about his idea, and the two friends soon became partners. They decided they wanted to build a new hip yet casual Indian grill focused on quality Indian ‘grab and go’ fast food with a young and contemporary attitude.” The two entrepreneurs wanted their business to be more a reflection of them and their lifestyle, rather than a traditional Indian restaurant. “We wanted a serene atmosphere that was comfortably cool, and would attract mainstream attention,” says Franklin. The friends decided to go for it, and were able to secure a lease for a building in Downtown New Rochelle. They renovated and redesigned the kitchen and restaurant space, while simultaneously interviewing Executive Chefs from around the globe. The Partners were looking for a Chef that would understand and embrace their mold-breaking ideas on Indian fast food, as well as mainstream American, and traditional Indian tastes. Indian-born Executive Chef Jose Kochuveettil, not only understood what Franklin and Tobin wanted, he stepped into the Samosa Cabana kitchen and created it. “Chef Jose,” as he likes to be called, has more than 30-years of international experience as a Chef, including Executive Chef positions in Bombay, Saudi Arabia, and Manhattan. Samosa Cabana opened with a gala ribbon-cutting ceremony on January 29, 2008, that featured Franklin, Tobin and His Honor, New Rochelle Mayor, Noam Bramson.