Sahil (Sunny) Malhotra
It seems like everyone, everywhere in the county knows Sunny, but do you really know the man behind the bar? You know he is kind, welcoming, funny, and that he so very passionate about giving of himself. You know that he is always there when he’s needed; But how did he become this person, how did he end up behind the bar?
Sunny travelled to The United States from India on March 1st, 2003, to visit with family. Instead of returning to India after his visit, he decided to stay and make a go of things, to start a new life.
When Sunny made the choice to stay in The States, he had very little to his name, and he knew if he were going to make it here, he would have to work very hard, and that is exactly what he did. He took any job that he could get, and began work March 10th, 2003. His very first job was selling wallets from a kiosk in the Annapolis mall!
In October of 2003, Sunny and his father opened a restaurant here in St. Mary’s County. They worked together tirelessly for a year. Sadly, in 2004 they were forced to close their restaurant and search out other avenues to sustain.
Sunny left the county shortly after the first restaurant closed, and he made himself two promises. The first was he would not move back to St. Mary’s County, and the second was, he would never get back into the restaurant industry.
Sunny uses the word ‘hustle’ often, and he understands its meaning more than most of us.
After leaving the county, he began multiple jobs. Working three days straight without sleeping, and sleeping on the fourth, and then starting it all over again. He was hustling; making his way to something better for himself, and for his family.
In 2008, Sunny broke BOTH of the promises he had made to himself many years before. He moved back to Good Ol’ St. Mary’s County, and he along with his father opened Bollywood Masala Indian Restaurant. The restaurant was doing well and becoming very successful. Despite this success, Sunny longed for something more, something different.
In 2011, The Lounge at Bollywood was born. The Lounge was envisioned as a dessert and martini bar, from that it grew to become The House of More than 130 Martinis, as well as a live music venue. The Lounge thrived, and Sunny watched his dreams come to fruition.
Five years later in 2016, Bollywood Masala and The Lounge at Bollywood made a move across town to a new location. Along with this new location, Sunny felt he wanted his business to evolve; thus became Taphouse1637. Aptly named to commemorate the year that Saint Mary's County was established; showing Sunny's dedication to the place he swore he'd never return.
Sunny’s journey to Taphouse1637, began in that shopping mall all those years ago, and he hasn’t stopped hustling since.
This evolution from The Lounge at Bollywood to Taphouse1637, marks the growth and evolution of that boy who came to The States with nothing, to the Man Behind the Bar. The unstoppable, ever dreaming, life-changing fellow we all love knowing…Sunny.
Stay tuned…because he’s not done yet.
