Love to cook? Today, Anita Jaisinghani shares some kitchen hacks for Ayurvedic home remedies. Especially, as moms, it's important to be able to cook for your kids and family yourself.
Anita Jaisinghani, the chef & co-owner of Pondicheri was born and raised in India and is of Sindhi descent. She developed a love for food early on in her life however trained and practiced as a microbiologist. Transitioning as a stay-at-home mother for her two children in Canada first and then Houston, she gradually developed her love of food into a career, beginning with an out-of-home catering business & selling chutneys through Whole Foods.
Anita’s first restaurant job was at the famous Café Annie, where she worked in the pastry department for 2 years. Following her time at Café Annie, Anita opened Indika in 2001 serving deeply personal dishes that illustrated her desire to portray Indian food in a new light. Pondicheri, followed in 2011, expanding with the opening of the Bake Lab + Shop in 2014 and its first out-of-state outpost in New York City in the summer of 2016.
With all of her kaleidoscopic menus, Anita combines the complexities of Indian cuisine with leanings toward the ancient body of wisdom of Ayurveda, the magic of spices & the goodness of fresh, local ingredients.
Listen in as Anita shares her delicious journey of living out her passions and sharing her message with other moms!
In this episode, you will hear:
Why cook for yourself vs. rely on others to feed you even as a busy mom? Why you should just eat whatever is in season in your area Even if you are a working and single mom aim for at least one family meal a day and this is how Is it possible to pursue your dreams and raise well-adjusted kids? Anita did it. It’s cheaper to prevent a disease than treat it. Eating at home once a day is within your reach in 2023 Home-made tea ideas to prevent illnesses or care for a cold for a family The case for exploring the medicinal properties of herbs Using saffron as a viable antidepressant Cumin as a heating spice that is a phytonutrient useful for cold weather environments Anita’s take on recipes as a creative exploration vs. strict instructions How to avoid picky eaters unlike Melissa your host Anita’s approach to bringing Indian culture to U.S. restaurant patrons vs. as an expression of your heritage at home Is it doable to write a cookbook as a single mom (to teens) who runs restaurants? Anita laughed at this thought and shared a true story that you will get. Why Anita wrote Masala The timeline behind what it took for Anita to find the confidence to write and share her voice in a digestible book Mom guilt as a business owner while her kids were young and how Anita prioritized her days early on; networking and publicity were deprioritized those daysSHARE this episode with a mom who enjoys reading nonfiction and/or is writing her own.
Similar Episodes:
On Substack: 10 Home Remedies To Aggressively Fight A Virus: Perfect for moms who are just NOT having it this cold, flu, RSV season: https://melissallarena.substack.com/p/10-home-remedies-to-aggressively
Supporting Resources:
Cookbook: Masala: Recipes from India, the Land of Spices: https://amzn.to/3GQDsNU
Website: www.pondicheri.com
Instagram: @pondicheri
Twitter: @pondicheri
Facebook: @pondicheri
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