In 1987 Kuljit Jaswal came a long way to start a new life in Golden.
Raised in India until she was 12 years old, Jaswal moved with her family to join up with her father who was already living and working in Golden.
“He was working at the mill in town. He came over first and then we came after,” she said.
About 10 years ago, she made the decision to open her own cafe in the town. Jita’s Cafe has been a fixture ever since.
“I worked at a cafe before and I really enjoyed the work. I got to know a lot of people,” she said. Jaswal added that opening her own business gave her the chance to stay in Golden on a year round basis.
“I loved the town and the people in it,” she said.
Jita’s offers a very different variety of food compared to many other cafes.
“The food is healthy, good home cooked food. We wanted people to be able to come in and grab something quick that was not deep fried or greasy food. It had to be tasty as well,” she said.
Jaswal added that her background also brings a special flavour to many of the dishes served at the cafe.
“I am from India so I wanted to get some of the curry flavour in there. I put a couple of different curries on the menu and other items like samosas,” Jaswal said.
Over her time in the business many things have changed for her.
“I still enjoy it as much as I did on the first day, but it is the people who make the job worth doing,” she said. “It has been interesting watching the town change. You see that when you are working in a coffee shop.”
She has also enjoyed the fact that many times she feels like she is heading home when she goes to work because of all of the customers who come to the cafe all of the time.
Recently, with the birth of her son, she has taken more time off from her business.
“My life has changed a lot with having a baby. My staff has been very important to keeping this going while I spend more time at home to bond with my child,” she said.
The cafe is open Tuesday through Sunday from 7 a.m to 6 p.m.
