Cafe Sunflower, Bradford, serves Caribbean and New York style food

Vidya and Nick Pervez decided to embark on a new adventure and move away from Queens, a New York borough famous for its internationally inspired cuisine and culture. 

Sunflower Cafe, found on Sunbridge Road, has a fusion style menu of British, American and Caribbean cuisine. 

From Vidya’s plantain pancakes and Desi breakfasts to Manhattan style burgers and Philly cheesesteak sandwiches, it is an ode to the couple’s international lives.

On the menu at Sunflower Cafe (Image: Newsquest, Mike Simmonds)

After first moving to London, Nick began searching for his long lost mother. 

It brought the family to Manchester, where he discovered his Irish roots.

But it is Bradford where the family chose to follow their dream of owning a cafe.

“Quite a lot of people ask us, why did you leave New York to come to Bradford?,” Vidya, who is originally from Trinidad and Tobago, said. 

Sunflower Cafe on Sunbridge Road, Bradford (Image: Newsquest, Mike Simmonds)

“You never know where you’ll end up. It’s just an adventure. It’s just finding us and reconnecting [with Nick’s family] after 26 years, which would never have happened if we didn’t come to the UK. 

“My husband is British American, we got married about 12 years ago. I decided I wanted to come across the pond as I wanted British kids.

“It was just having that change of culture. 

“He ended up having a massive Irish family in Manchester which is amazing. We ended up in Bradford because I work in Leeds.”

Inside Sunflower Cafe (Image: Newsquest, Mike Simmonds)

Speaking about cafes, Vidya said: “It was something that always, studying in Brooklyn, it was somewhere I loved going. Even after I graduated it was somewhere I found myself in, on the sofas with a coffee, reading a book. It’s something a bit more ‘New York’ that stayed with me throughout. 

“Even when our son was two or three I’d always take him on coffee dates. It’s something that’s like a personality for me. It became something we loved to do.

“Because of him and our diverse background we do cook a lot. It’s been part of our life. We indulge in a lot of eating.”

Food by Sunflower Cafe (Image: Newsquest, Mike Simmonds)

The cafe has proven popular with families.

Meanwhile their entrepreneurial eight-year-old daughter runs her own slime stall. 

“It’s been really successful,” she said.

“I came up with some really weird variations like my pineapple upside down pancake and a plantain pancake. It was unbelievable. The Peanut Punch, it’s Caribbean based but with a fusion. A lot of foods have a Caribbean touch.”

Describing why they chose Bradford, she said: “Being a multicultural family in Bradford and City of Culture, it feels like we can give back to Bradford.”