I grew up with my mother’s homemade Indian food, taking the skill of cooking for granted and just enjoying the tasty treats she made. I did not move out until I was 21 after surviving on Mac n’ Cheese and tuna, I decided to try cooking some Indian food upon my roommates’ request. It turned out tasty but most importantly, I had a whole lot of fun doing it and immediately found a liking for turning raw ingredients into tasty meals. I stuck to simple recipes at first, until I discovered the Food Network and started to emulate some of the techniques I saw. In 2003 I attended a 12-week class for budding chefs, formally learning knife skills skills and basic restaurant-level cooking techniques. Since then, I have explored a variety of cooking styles, evolving my own culinary vision that blends flavors and traditions of various cuisines, particularly that of the Indian subcontinent. All of this is based around fresh, seasonal, local ingredients. My philosophy on cooking is that the flavors should blend together to enhance each other, not overpower each other.
I do not have a professional cooking background, but I have volunteered to cook at many events, successfully designing menus and managing kitchen staff to feed from 30-300 people on limited budgets in both large commercial kitchens and small make shift kitchens in the middle of the Burning Man festival. I have taught kids to teach via the NAYA organization, been involved with Zenger Farms’ Healthy Eating on a Budget program, and am often volunteering to cook meals for events for City Repair Project and other local organizations. My friends often turn to him for inspiration and ideas on how to cook vegetables they get with their CSA.
I am a supporter of the Slow Food movement and believe that food is at the center of community, serving as a catalyst to connect friends and family.