ADITI’S STORY
Aditi’s grandmother-in-law, mother, herself, daughter, and mother-in-law (left to right)
Aditi grew up in Bombay (now Mumbai) and had the privilege of living in a joint family with her grandfather, uncles, aunts and parents. Good food and good company always found their way in her home. Aditi's mother and two aunts would go the local Santa Cruz market daily, hand select produce, and prepare fresh meals three times daily. Although she didn’t appreciate it growing up (more on this later), her mother is an exceptional cook. Unknowingly, she had cultivated a palate for incredibly tasty, authentic, fresh "farm to table" food!
Pictured right: Aditi and her daughter.
WHAT MOM DIDN'T KNOW
One of Aditi's uncles is particularly fond of Bombay's rich street food. He would steal Aditi away on his scooter in the afternoon or after supper and take her to eat at his favorite street vendors. Some of Aditi's most memorable memories include plans with her uncle Satish to "eat" (a small) dinner at home and then go out for a “long walk”--which of course, included a stop along the way to either Mani’s dosa stand or Gokul’s for ice cream! Years later, from almost any of the street vendors directly opposite Aditi's college (Mithibai) in the Bombay suburb of Juhu, Aditi found the best venue for eating Vada Pav and Mumbai masala sandwiches!
Despite growing up loving food, Aditi was entirely unprepared for the next phase of her relationship with food and local markets. In fact, just before her marriage, her mother warned her future mother-in-law “our daughter has never set foot in the kitchen, so please make sure your son doesn't expect good food”. Moving to Menlo Park, California after their 1999 wedding, Aditi quickly learned that she had better learn to cook if she wanted good food. Even with the many Indian tech workers in Silicon Valley, there was very limited authentic Indian fare available, and only a small grocery warehouse in Berkeley that served street food in one corner. Aditi's mother-in-law is also an exceptional chef, as is Aditi's grandmother-in-law, and Aditi quickly started collecting their recipes and techniques. She integrated the best from several family recipes and Aditi made each dish her own. Soon she was not only cooking her childhood favorites, but exploring global cuisine.
LOVE OF LOCAL MARKET
Local markets and global cultures with diverse cuisine again played a more prominent role when Aditi and her husband moved to Basel, Switzerland. Every day, farmers would pick produce in the early mornings to be sold in the “Markt Platz” (Market Place, Basel's central square). She learned the value again of daily produce selection and of meeting and speaking with the vendors and trusting their recommendations. She met local bakers from the coffee shops around Basel and from travels in Europe. Whether a meal from a neighborhood cafe, or from a Michelin-starred Chef, culinary experiences opened up a new world to Aditi and sparked further culinary interest.
The bounty of fresh Pacific Northwest produce further inspired Aditi when she moved to Seattle in 2005. She had little insight she would enjoy her culinary journey so much, and would actually become so passionate about cooking and entertaining! Along with her husband, she carefully tended a small vegetable farm on a small one-acre plot in Yakima County, east of the Cascades. One year the garden yielded 1000 tomatoes, and another year, her husband brought home 200 "Hungarian Hot" goat peppers hand picked by him from their favorite Krueger Pepper Farms. Aditi was forced to learn what real farm-to-table really meant. Aditi was in heaven with so much fresh produce that she found herself volunteering to cook for family and friends for any or no occasions!! Her popularity as a chef grew among friends and family, and by popular demand, she and two other friends started a “pop up series” under the name Cilantro Sisters. Their first event was a sold-out plated seven course meal at the Pike Place Market's Atrium Kitchen, and the Cilantro Sisters continue to serve innovative cuisine around the Seattle Metro area through regular pop-ups. Aditi and her husband are long time supporters of their local Mercer Island Farmer's Market, where they regularly meet long time friends from Mercer Island, the Puget Sound, and the Yakima Valley.