The Journey

Indians love their desserts. Every occasion is highlighted by an array of colorful sweets. Growing up, I was fond of cakes and puddings just as much as I enjoyed the ethnic delicacies. My earliest memories are those of my aunt baking my birthday cake, vanilla with almonds and green cardamom icing.

I remember clearly the hours she spent creaming the butter and sugar with the kids jostling in the kitchen, competing to lick the sides of her bowl. Her baking pan is part of my kitchen collection in Delhi even today. I also reverently waited for Christmas, not for the gifts, but for the delectable fruit cakes and pies my friends mothers baked. For fear of having to impart with even a crumb, I would finish their baked gifts before I returned home.

These innocent childhood memories are the spark of my life-long love affair with desserts and my inspirations are drawn from them and enhanced by experiments in my own kitchen. Over the course of my career, I have found the magic of baking lies in pure ingredients, seasonal produce, and skilled preparation. Using my extensive knowledge of spices, fruits, chocolate and savory ingredients, I have married the art of Indian dessert with Western classics producing balanced profiles on the plate. My desserts bear witness to my own transition from India's award winning restaurants to New York City's humming culinary scene, creating unexpected, satisfying finales to countless feasts.