Story and Photos by Patricia Hudson
Our Towne Lake featured residents are Neil and Radhika Patel. Their journey to Cypress, Texas took them more than 8,000 miles. Neil was born and raised in Gujrati, India. At the age of 11, his family moved and he began middle school in Texas. As a young boy, Neil recalls playing cricket with friends on the block. Radhika began her life in Punjab, India. Her family moved to El Paso, Texas when she was five years old.
“My parents opened the first Indian grocery store in El Paso, Texas,” explains Radhika. “They worked a lot, so I grew up working in the family business and at the Indian restaurant they owned. Those were some of my fondest memories.”
The Patels have been together for 14 years; they have been married for 10. “Neil is in the hospitality business. Being an owner/operator, he plays many roles,” shares Radhika. “I am a Math Interventionist at Arnold Middle School. A Math Interventionist is a certified teacher who is hired by the school to go in and re-teach material to students who are struggling. These students are hand-picked by the teacher and math specialist since its small group.”
One of the family enterprises had its beginning on a family trip. Radhika explains, “After visiting some family in Michigan, we fell in love with the taste and flavors of Hungry Howie’s Pizza; they have ten different crust flavors! Once our older child Laksh was in school full-time, we decided we wanted to be in business together. We brought those flavors home with us at our pizzeria, Hungry Howie’s Pizza in Jersey Village!”
Balancing work and family can be a struggle. “This is something we are both always working on,” admits Radhika. “Making changes when needed has helped both of us. Neil also owns other businesses that require attention so he has to go to multiple places throughout the day. Once Neil is home, he makes it a point to spend time with family. My routine starts off in the morning making lunches, dropping off kids and going to work out. From there, I head to work and teaching our future generation.”
The Patels have two boys. “Laksh is six years old, and goes to Rennell Elementary. He is the genius of the family,” says Radhika proudly. “His love for math can be seen on a daily basis at home, as he turns any game or at home play into adding, subtracting, multiplying. With the same focus, he enjoys golf, karate and music. Ariyan is almost three years old and is currently attending Montessori Preschool of Copperfield. Thanks to his teachers, he is retiring his diapers! Ariyan loves to play outside, follow his brother around and sing when no one is watching him. He keeps us on our toes with his adventure seeking personality. It is up to me to juggle our kiddos’ busy schedules!”
Preserving their cultural heritage for the children is important for this family. “We have made some amazing friends in the community who help us keep the culture alive for the younger generation. Most, if not all of the festivals are celebrated in the community, either at a local park or on a more grand scheme, with the help of the community. The kids participate in learning the meaning behind these holidays such as; Holi, Diwali and many more by reading books and or cooking a meal associated with the festival,” explains Radhika.
While mom is usually in charge of the kitchen, everyone enjoys cooking and grilling. “We use cooking as a way to get the kids involved as they love to chop, mix, blend etc…” acknowledges Radhika. “We cook lots of traditional Indian meals, but we also order take out and enjoy the options the Boardwalk has to offer.
Our family memories usually revolve around vacations. We enjoy travelling with the kiddos; it helps us teach them basic etiquette and have fun doing it!” As for those elusive free moments in their schedule, Neil and Radhika can be found playing sports, cooking together, watching movies, working out or listening to music.
The Patel family is happy to make their home in Towne Lake. “We had our eyes on this neighborhood for about two years prior to moving here,” recalls Radhika. “The lake, amenities and boardwalk played a factor as it is like living and being on vacation as soon as you enter the neighborhood. The highly rated schools also played a vital role. We were waiting for the right time; once we were able to get the pizza shop open, we made our move!”
