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Empty nester turns family’s homegrown tradition into city’s 1st chai cafe

By CNN

GA: EMPTY NESTERS OPEN 1ST CHAI CAFE

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    ATLANTA (WUPA) — When Monica Sunny’s three sons left for college, the quiet that settled over her home inspired an unexpected second act.

Instead of taking up a new hobby, Sunny turned a family tradition into a business. Nearly a decade after she began brewing chai in her kitchen for friends and neighbors, Sunny is now the owner of The Chai Box, an Atlanta café where she hopes every customer experiences the same sense of warmth and togetherness that defined her family’s daily tea ritual.

“For years, chai was such a big part of our family,” Sunny said. “I have fond memories of having chai with my parents when I moved from India to Atlanta in the 80s, having that chai time in a brand-new country. So, it just kept me grounded. And I wanted to instill that love of chai and family and togetherness in my kids.”

After becoming an empty nester, Sunny realized she wasn’t ready to let that tradition end.

She began making chai in her home kitchen and selling it to friends and neighbors. The small operation eventually outgrew her basement, leading her to open The Chai Box in Atlanta.

“My husband and I were empty nesters, and he’s like, ‘Well, this is your fourth baby,'” Sunny said.

The café specializes in handcrafted chai made from spices sourced overseas and blended in-house to stay true to traditional flavors.

Building the business has required long days, something Sunny jokes about with a sense of humor.

“I feel like I’m pulling double shifts at Dairy Queen every day like I did back when I was 15 years old,” she said with a laugh.

The café has also become a family and community effort.

One of Sunny’s sons designed the shop, and his first drawing hangs on the wall. She also hired the daughter of a longtime neighbor, pastry chef Amber, to create pastries that blend French techniques with Indian flavors, including a samosa croissant and a pistachio rose tart.

“I’ve known Miss Monica and her family since I was, like, 12. We were neighbors,” Amber said. “When they said they were opening a café, I was like, ‘Oh my God, this would be a dream to work with them’ … and play with the flavors of Indian culture.”

Sunny still prepares the café’s signature malai herself, while every detail of the experience is designed to make guests feel welcome.

“I tried her chai, and I loved it immediately,” said Yasmeen Fareeduddin, a longtime customer. “And the real kicker was that my mom loved it, and my mother-in-law loved it. And so, when you get some pure, authentic Indian aunties and moms to love chai, you know, it’s legit.

“Everything is intentional from how it feels and how it tastes,” said Fareeduddin. “Wanting you to feel like you’re at home was obviously there.”

Other customers agree, saying that atmosphere and the chai keep them coming back.

“Just taking a minute to breathe and enjoy the warm hug that you get from chai,” customer Alexandra Castellanos said. “I love that feeling.”

For Sunny’s sons, watching their mother build a successful business after raising her family has become a source of inspiration.

“Living with someone so hardworking to make their dream come true inspires me and my brothers to work harder in our life because it shows that actually life is achievable,” said Ian Sunny.

His brother, Evan Sunny, said seeing customers embrace the café makes him appreciate his mother’s work even more.

“We’re very proud of our mom,” Evan said. “You don’t see behind the scenes how good of a mom she is. What makes it extra special is knowing that we come home, we have a tremendous mom waiting for us.”

Ian hopes visitors leave with the same feeling his family experienced growing up.

“I hope they experience the homey feel that our mom’s created through the business,” he said. “That they can kind of feel the same love and experience that she gives everyone.”

For Sunny, The Chai Box is an extension of the home she built around her family.

“When people come in here,” she said, “they’re coming into my house.”

Today, that house serves chai and a sense of belonging to customers from across metro Atlanta.

The Chai Box will have a grand opening celebration on Sunday, Aug. 9, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at 1963 Howell Mill Rd NW, Atlanta, GA 30318. There will be free chai and live music.

Please note: This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate and does not contain original CNN reporting. This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.

Millions of Americans with untreated high blood pressure should be taking medication

By CNN
Nearly 1 in 3 adults in the United States with untreated high blood pressure would benefit from treatment and are not getting it, according to a new study.That’s because nearly 10 million Americans now meet newly updated guidelines by the American Heart Association and American College of Cardiology that redefine an adult’s risk for cardiovascular disease.“We estimated that approximately 200,900 all-cause deaths and 162,600 cardiovascular deaths could be prevented over the next 10 years,” said lead study author Dr. Mustafa Al-Jarshawi, a cardiologist at Keele University in England.Ideally, doctors want blood pressure to fall below 120 mmHg systolic and 80 mmHg diastolic. If blood pressure is around 130/80, doctors have typically advised people to make changes to their lifestyle, such as increasing exercise.If doctors use the American Heart Association’s new PREVENT tool, which considers blood sugar, kidney function and a person’s decade-long risk for heart disease as well as blood pressure, some 81 million Americans would be eligible for blood pressure medications.“What this is saying is that people who have traditionally not been at very high risk are now eligible to be treated with medications more aggressively,” said cardiologist Dr. Andrew Freeman, director of cardiovascular prevention and wellness at National Jewish Health in Denver.“Generally, I think when people have additional risk, blood pressure is really the silent killer,” said Freeman, who was not involved with the study.Expanding treatment could save livesThe study, published July 29 in the Journal of the American Heart Association, analyzed National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey data from 2009 to 2018. Newer data is available, but the most up-to-date version of the survey hasn’t been around long enough for researchers to know participants’ cause and time of death.The study examines how death rates might be lower if the 2025 hypertension guidelines were implemented during those years, Al-Jarshawi said.Among 81 million adults with high blood pressure and no cardiovascular disease, nearly 23 million may be newly eligible under the new guidelines. Of those 23 million, 9.7 million were untreated.Becoming eligible to receive blood pressure medication was associated with a 23% lower risk of dying compared with no treatment. When it comes to the chances of dying from a heart-related issue, risk dropped by 50%. The study also found that adults with diabetes would benefit most from treatment. This is because diabetes and high blood pressure often occur together, significantly increasing cardiovascular risk, Al-Jarshawi said.Treatment is more than a medicationAny eligible person shouldn’t hesitate to start taking medication in addition to making lifestyle changes to reduce long-term risks, Al-Jarshawi said.Controlling high blood pressure is a long-term commitment to health, CNN contributor Dr. Leana Wen, an emergency physician and adjunct associate professor at George Washington University, told CNN in a previous article. She recommended looking into a key inventory of five daily habits: level of physical activity, diet, substance use including alcohol and marijuana, stress levels, and a healthy weight.“You don’t have to do everything perfectly to make a difference in your health,” Wen said. She suggests starting with small lifestyle changes. Many people can’t easily reduce stress in their lives, but maybe they can more easily start eating more fruits and vegetables.”The findings of the new study highlight the importance of controlling high blood pressure, Freeman said.“The western world is ailing from a variety of cardiometabolic, kidney diseases,” Freeman said. “High blood pressure amplifies a lot of risk, and we have to do whatever we can to get that risk down and being aggressive about blood pressure is very low-hanging fruit.”However, medication only works when it’s inside the person, and not sitting in the bottle unused, Freeman said. About half of adults in the US with high blood pressure don’t regularly take their prescribed medication, according to a July 2025 study published in the journal JAMA Cardiology.Freeman recommends trying to form a habit, such as keeping your pillbox next to an alarm or toothbrush. That way, when set an alarm for the morning or brush your teeth, you remember to also take the pills.“There’s a way to cue yourself and remind,” Freeman said. “For those people that forget, consider having a small supply in your purse or your wallet or your car, just so you can always remember to take it.”The study’s findings also highlight the need for physicians to be alert to early signs of disease and consider blood pressure treatment, even in younger people, according to Freeman.“We’re seeing a lot more young people now who have chronic disease and diabetes and other things that may be relatively mild, but still at risk, and we need to be even more aggressive,” Freeman said.The-CNN-Wire™ & © 2026 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.
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