Juneau’s only Indian restaurant plans switch to ‘fusion’ menu as tariffs, ICE fears cause hardships, owner says
- Mark Sabbatini
- Sep 23
- 4 min read
Updated: Sep 25
Three foreign employees in US legally have left; Trump’s 50% tariff on India makes authentic supplies unaffordable, according to Spice owner Nimmy Philips
By Mark Sabbatini
Juneau Independent
This story has been updated with additional information.
Spice Juneau Indian Cuisine is already short-staffed due to foreign-born workers leaving over fears of being detained, but owner Nimmy Philips was forced to spend Monday night away from the restaurant to beg city leaders for a bit more time to pay off a tax debt so she can keep her alcohol license.
The restaurant is struggling both due to the loss of workers — including her head chef — and a drop in sales this year since, among other reasons, "we cannot rely on the ships anymore," Philips told members of the Juneau Assembly Human Resources Committee. Furthermore, Spice’s future prospects as an authentic Indian restaurant — the only one in Juneau — are bleak because of a 50% tariff President Donald Trump imposed on India last month.
"My choices in front of me were to either sell or be in a partnership where I can buy everything in the United States, not from India," she said. "So I found a partner to partner with me, hopefully starting in January, that will take place. It'll be a fusion-style restaurant where we can get all our spices and needs in the United States, not out of the country."
The committee recommended postponing the restaurant’s debt of about $45,000 that was due Monday until Oct. 14, which the full Assembly approved later during the evening. Philips, on Thursday, showed a receipt showing she has paid off the taxes, fees and interest, which she said was possible by taking out a mortgage on her house.
But for Philips it’s just a temporary reprieve in an ongoing series of hardships in recent months due to Trump administration actions.
Philips, who is also president of the Downtown Business Association, said other businesses are reporting similar problems and concerns. But they aren’t making any public or other outreach efforts because they don’t want to attract the attention of anyone who might cause them difficulties.
"Nobody wanted to get involved because they’re too scared," she said in an interview when asked if any effort by the DBA to address concerns is occurring.
Spice opened downtown in June of 2021 after Philips, who came to Juneau as an engineer, bought the former Saffron restaurant and modified the space. The restaurant, in addition to featuring cuisine from Philips’ homeland, now hosts cultural events such as Indian Independence Day and Holi festival celebrations.
But Philips said the restaurant’s situation got significantly more difficult in July when reports U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers were in Juneau circulated widely. She said two workers from Mexico and a third from Peru quit and returned to their home countries — even though they were legal U.S. residents with green cards — out of fear they would be detained as has occurred elsewhere nationwide.
"My head chef is a green card holder who's been a chef since he was 19 years old, and he has four daughters in California, married, and one is a Navy officer," she said. "But his skin is still brown."
Similar fears have been expressed by many other foreigners in Juneau, as well as friends and officials at support agencies. An annual refugee picnic scheduled while the reports of ICE agents were circulating was postponed for a month, with some attendees expressing concern about uncertain futures.
Uncertainties about the economy also appear to be taking their toll on Spice and other businesses. A recently released Southeast Alaska economic report stated business owners surveyed are feeling considerably more pessimistic about the year ahead compared to last year due primarily to Trump policies. Among the findings are 4% of respondents stating they expect positive impacts from his tariffs, 47% negative impacts and 30% saying they create uncertainty.
Philips said fewer people are dining out this year "because everybody's hurting at this point."
She said she has enough spices and other supplies — purchased before tariffs took effect — to continue her restaurant with its current menu until the end of the year. But she said doesn’t want to continue operating it as an Indian restaurant if she can’t import authentic ingredients.
"I can't put my name on something that is not authentic," Phillips said. "I cook my grandma's recipes. If I can’t get authentic spices I'm not going to put my name on an inauthentic restaurant."
But the restaurant will keep the name it’s commonly known by, she said.
"Spice can still stay spicy, because spice is a common name," Philips said. "We can still have a couple of different styles of cuisines."
• Contact Mark Sabbatini at editor@juneauindependent.com or (907) 957-2306.
