Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru (SP)

Mangaluru, Feb 14: K Raveendranath Shetty (56), who made his family's unique delicacy, 'Ghee Roast' a household name, breathed his last on the evening of Tuesday February 13 at Yenepoya Hospital here. It is gathered that he had been admitted into the hospital sometime back on account of health problems associated with his kidneys.

Shetty, who made Mangalurean Ghee Roast popular by preparing it as per the specifications of his mother, Padmavathi, was known as 'Kane Ravi' because of the fact that Masala Fry made by him by using this species of fish was immensely popular. The Ghee Roast has since many years, become a mandatory item in the menu cards of several hotels here.

Shetty, son of Tejappa Shetty, was from Kundapur. Tejappa Shetty had started the famous Shetty Lunch Home at Kundapur. Tejappa's sons started Anupama Restaurant in Hotel Usha here in 1973. The Shettys rose to fame on account of their unique mouth-watering preparations. It is said that Raveendranath Shetty came to be known as 'Kane Ravi' as used to visit fish market each morning and procured the major catch of Kane fish for the day for the hotels run by his family.

Raveendranath Shetty was with shipping business in the Gulf for sometime before he opened a restaurant chain named 'Coast to Coast' at Bengaluru. Currently some relatives of Shetty family are operating Shetty Lunch Home at Kundapur and Usha Hotel here.