A mutual friend introduced Rishi and Surina while they were students at the University of San Francisco. “We met in college in the spring of 2005 and became a couple soon after. After graduation, I went on to law school, and Rishi began a career with Ernst & Young in the audit practice. By 2007, we were living together; in 2008, Rishi proposed; and we were married in 2010,” says Surina.
The couple worked to honor their different cultures in their wedding. “We went through so many adventures together, and we knew we were going to get married and continue our journey through life’s challenges together. We had many ups and downs throughout our time together prior to getting married, as we came from different backgrounds, countries, cultures, and religions, but somehow we made it work through compromise because we knew we wanted to create a life together. Our blended backgrounds even showed throughout our wedding ceremonies, where we had ceremonies from each of our cultures and international celebrations with our families and friends celebrating both in America and Singapore!” says Rishi.
Rishi was born in India and raised in Singapore. He had an opportunity to pursue an accounting degree at the University of San Francisco and decided to go for it! In 2007, Rishi graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Accounting. He began his career working for major accounting firms in the audit department, which required a lot of dedication and long hours. When Rishi and Surina decided to start a family, he says he tried to find a workplace that provided a good work-life balance. “I quickly realized this was extremely difficult to do. After struggling to find a work-life balance after our first child was born, Surina’s dad announced he was looking for a CFO for his company, and after long discussions and putting thought into it, we decided this would provide me the opportunity to enhance my career but still provide the balance I craved to be able to be there for my children.” Rishi currently holds a CFO role in a mid-sized family business that owns and develops real estate, with franchised businesses. Surina’s parents own the business and are partners with her uncle. It is a true family business at it’s finest!
Surina was born in Mountain View and raised in Yuba City. She moved to San Francisco to attend college and get out of the small town she grew up in. She graduated with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Political Science from USF. She then went on to get her Juris Doctorate from UC Hastings College of Law. “I had a passion for writing, arguing positions, analyzing the law, and applying it. Upon graduating, I secured a position with Farmer’s Insurance managing litigated injury claims. Once my son was born, though, I could not get myself to leave him at daycare to go into work,” says Surina.
Luckily, while she was on maternity leave, her dad began expanding his company and was in need of a person to head development. It was a perfect match for Surina’s skill set, and, best of all, she was able to bring Riyahn, her son, into work with her. She was able to obtain the work-life balance she craved and still be able to raise her kids and be with them during their early years. Once she became pregnant with her third child, Surina resigned as Director of Development and enjoys being a stay-at-home mom.
In addition, the couple also owns a franchised restaurant: Black Bear Diner in Colma, CA. “We fell in love with the brand Black Bear Diner. We loved their corporate team and what they stood for, as well as the restaurant concept and the coziness we felt every time we stepped inside. We decided we would like to personally turn our love for the concept into ownership. We currently operate the restaurant ourselves with the help of a General Manager who manages the day-to-day operations of the restaurant,” says Surina.
San Francisco was their home base for many years, but once the couple started thinking about having children, they knew they wanted to move to a suburb with a home and more space. They found the perfect starter home in Novato, then in 2016, moved to Alamo Creek in Danville. “While quarantining together during COVID, we realized our wants and needs had changed since we first moved into the home we were living in. We wanted a larger backyard space, more mature landscaping surrounding us, and a more peaceful ambiance in our neighborhood. We had many friends who lived in Blackhawk who spoke highly of the neighborhood, and in 2020, we found the perfect home and made the move to Blackhawk. We completely remodeled the home, designed the house and picked out each material ourselves. We managed the entire renovation process and now feel like this is our dream home,” says Rishi.
The three kids in the Kaul family are nine-year-old Riyahn, seven-year-old Sahara, and three-year-old Raynav. Riyahn plays baseball on a Tri-Valley tournament team and has a passion for football and basketball as well. He enjoys going to 49er games and has always had a passion for puzzles and Legos. Sahara is on a competition dance team and enjoys singing and dancing. She loves listening to Jojo Siwa and taking long baths while singing along. Raynav loves cars and loves to kick a ball.
Rishi used to be a professional cricket player in Singapore. He still represents Marin Cricket Club in the local Northern California Cricket League from time to time. In addition, Rishi has a passion for soccer and, in 2018, started a local soccer pickup group in Danville, which now boasts 80 members and plays pickup soccer almost every weekend morning.
Surina enjoys working out, playing tennis, and going hiking. She loves to volunteer at the kids’ school. She is currently a room parent for Sahara’s classroom and actively volunteers throughout the year for all children at school. Surina enjoys traveling and planning events for special occasions. She also loves interior design and decorating and managed the entire home renovation project herself!
The couple say they love the life they have created for their family here in Blackhawk, “We love living in Blackhawk. Our neighbors are great. We have developed many nice friendships and have seen our neighbors look out for one another like family. We love our serene surroundings and peaceful environment. A lot of our friends live within the Blackhawk gates, and we love the feeling of community we get here.”
By Megan Scott, Resident since 2010
Images courtesy of Kaul Family
Do you know a neighbor who has a story to share? Nominate your neighbor to be featured in one of our upcoming issues! Contact us at mscott@bestversionmedia.com.