Sue Sista
Local Obituary
By Susan Wiedmann
Sue Sista, the owner of Sue's Indian Cuisine, located at 1040 Willow St., died Jan. 13 in Santa Clara, after a brief illness.
She was born Oct. 8, 1924, in a small village in the Indian state of Andhra, later moving to Bombay with her widowed father. She eventually became the eldest sibling to two brothers and three sisters. The youngest brother, Srinu Sista, of Cupertino, remembers her as being like a mother to him, and the two remained especially close all their lives.
"She was a fun-loving person," he says. "I can't think of anyone who would not love Sue."
Beginning in the early 1950s, Sue Sista lived in London for 30 years. She worked for the Indian Tea Board and started a number of tea centers that offered tea and snacks as a way of introducing Indian tea to the United Kingdom. But the multi-skilled woman also always kept her creative side busy. A talented painter, she would take ordinary saris and paint floral designs on them, creating custom looks for her clients.
"She would paint flowers more beautifully than anyone I know," Srinu Sista says.
Sue Sista came to the United States in 1982 and started a restaurant called Sue's Kitchen. In 1990 she sold it and opened the original Sue's Indian Cuisine on Castro Street, in Mountain View. In 1996 she started a second Sue's Indian Cuisine, located on Willow Street, in Willow Glen, serving couples and small groups.
In spite of having two restaurants, she still found time to paint, and today the walls of both her restaurants are filled with her work. But Srinu Sista thinks he has the best piece.
"I was once on 17 Mile Drive and took a panoramic picture of the Cypress Tree," he remembers. "That particular day the color scheme was just magnificent, very dark and yet the sun was shining through the clouds. I told her I thought it was the best picture I had ever taken." Since he liked it so much she painted a totally accurate replica of the photo for him, with the lighting detailed just as it appeared in the photo. He displays it proudly in his home.
She is survived by her two brothers and three sisters, Srinu Sista, Bobby Sista, Kanta Chatterjee, Komala Rao, Lakshmi Rao, and 11 nieces and nephews.
Her two restaurants and her recipes will remain in the family. "Her legacy will continue," Srinu Sista promises.
Funeral services have been held.
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Willow Glen, California Since 1992
