“The art of serving—knowing that what you’re carrying is about to make someone feel more comfortable—is really sweet.”
How do you take your tea?
I take my peppermint tea with a bit of honey.
Can you share your earliest memory of tea?
As a South Asian, chai is very central to hosting and entertaining. My first memory of tea is probably serving it—walking around with the tray carrying the cups and the sugar bowl. I think that the art of serving—knowing that what you're carrying is about to make someone feel more comfortable—is really sweet.
If you could share a cup of tea with anyone, who would it be, and why?
It would be my paternal grandmother-she passed away when my dad was very young.
My maternal grandmother has really shaped me, she's an incredible cook and she taught me how to cook. So much of my life has been influenced by her and I wonder if I had known my dad's mother how that might have added to my life.
A lot of my work is about telling stories, and I often look to the past for inspiration.
I would love to have a cup of chai with her, and have another source of inspiration just like my maternal grandmother.
Is there anyone working in food right now who inspires you, someone you think more people should know about?
I love Noreen Wasti. Our styles are very different but I love how she takes traditional Pakistani food makes it feel like it belongs in the present.
She has such an artful sensibility to her plating-it feels very feminine and almost angelic.
Her dishes sometimes come together in those last few finishes. I've seen her do it in person a few times, and it's incredible. It looks so different from when she's finished cooking to when it's on the plate.
It's really beautiful to me. I feel like she's someone who cooks because she truly loves to cook.
