About Me

My mother shows her love through her cooking. Growing up in suburbs of New Jersey, I had a routine: wake up, hurriedly grab the lunchbox my mother prepared for me, somehow make it to my classes, and by noon open that mystery lunchbox to see what my mother surprised me with. ​​

It wasn't till I moved to New York City to study at Columbia University that I realized how much I took those moments for granted. I could no longer wake-up to the smell of those familiar Indian spices or peek inside my lunchbox to see Indian specialties like Khichdi, Kati rolls, and Idli or my mother's interpretations of quesadillas, sandwiches, and stir fry. Instead I was limited to dining halls, none of which provided any Jain options - vegetarian cuisine with additional dietary restrictions like root vegetables and mushrooms. I survived on my mother's occasional care packages, late night Hamilton Deli sandwich runs, and poor attempts at spaghetti in my dorm's communal kitchens.

By my Junior year, my sister left for college as well and my mother now had to split her care packages between the two of us. With a kitchenette in my room, a reduced meal plan, and little extra time on my hands, my cooking journey began with late night experiments with cheese and carbs.
   

 As I began to take more of an initiative to cook regularly, I soon realized that none of my Indian meals could compare to my mother's, but that also gave me the opportunity to create unique Jain dishes from other parts of the world that I didn't necessarily have growing up. With help from YouTube and a lot of trial and error I began to create gourmet Jain dishes from French classics like Ratatouille Confit Byaldi to modern ones that involve the latest culinary techniques like spherification. Although making something from scratch is special in itself, I found true happiness in sharing my delicacies to bring my friends and family together. 

I hope this page allows you to do the same. Take a look at these recipes, make them your own, and share them with your loved ones. My mother and I show our love through cooking - now we pass this along to you.