Think about a sprinkle of Mumbai magic and a touch of Staten Island sass—that’s how vegan chef, writer, and TV persona Priyanka Naik is making a mark on the culinary scene. By combining her Indian roots together with her New York know-how, the Meals Community champ is on a mission to showcase the flexibility of vegan delicacies and the richness of South Asian flavors.
Naik’s dedication to her Indian heritage profoundly influences each her culinary method and life-style. She even prioritized studying her native language, Kannada, earlier than English. As a teen, Naik found that eating out as a vegetarian in one of many world’s largest cities, NYC, was tough, with menu selections restricted to salads or facet dishes.
This made her notice that perhaps the Western world wasn’t absolutely conscious of the unimaginable culinary prospects that exist with greens. In 2011, Naik launched her web site, Chef Priyanka, to show folks about vegan meals. “I actually imagine that in the event you contain folks in your course of, allow them to ask questions, and make it relatable, they’ll need to know extra,” Naik tells VegNews.
“South Asia/India is huge, and we’re solely scratching the floor,” Naik provides.
Naik’s ardour for vegan cooking turned her into superstar standing by means of her 2017 championship on Meals Community’s Cooks vs. Cons. This competitors featured two skilled cooks and one house cook dinner vying for a $10,000 grand prize. Naik’s conquer two seasoned cooks got here together with her progressive vegetarian nacho cheese pav bhaji, a twist on Maharashtrian road meals she affectionately dubs an “Indian Sloppy Joe.”
Since then, Naik has shifted her focus to growing vegan recipes and has showcased her culinary expertise on numerous platforms. She made appearances on Quibi’s Dishmantled and the Immediately present, amongst others, and hosted Tastemade’s Dish It Wholesome, underscoring her creativity and the rising recognition of plant-based delicacies.
Kelly Clarkson Present
When the pandemic struck, Naik took to her IGTV collection, Prepare dinner with Chef Pri at 3, the place she filmed, produced, and starred in episodes, sharing engaging recipes comparable to darkish chocolate rose pistachio bark and stuffed jalapeño poppers with vegan barbecue rub together with her 168,000-plus followers.
Breaking meals stereotypes
Naik was born and raised on Staten Island, NY however her roots are from the Maharashtra area of India. Whereas North and South Indian cuisines are well-known in america, meals from this area—usually characterised by seafood, rice-based dishes, and dry chutneys—just isn’t but as common Stateside, and Naik is working to vary that.
“South Asian meals is bomb and I don’t need to gatekeep that,” Naik says.
Naik has not solely taken her place amongst culinary superstars, however she has additionally opened doorways for a brand new period of inclusive and various illustration on the earth of meals and leisure. The American culinary scene could possibly be perpetually modified by the daring flavors and provoking message introduced by this vegan South Asian chef with a mission.
“The Western/American world (primarily) views greens as an afterthought, a facet dish, and one thing they don’t need,” Naik says. “My expertise on Meals Community, on reside daytime nationwide TV, and extra has made it abundantly clear that we have to change the attitude folks have on meals [and] greens.”
Priyanka Naik
Particularly, Naik desires to point out folks why greens must be the star of the plate, simply as they’re in lots of cultures world wide, and break the widespread notion {that a} “full” meal is a three-segmented meal encompassing meat, potatoes, and overcooked greens. “One key side of South Asian tradition that helps break a number of the molds is displaying how we and plenty of cultures world wide eat household model, which opens up your dinner desk for an abundance of choices,” Naik says.
Bringing vegan meals to the world stage
Desperate to proceed sharing her culinary creativity, Naik expresses her aspiration to take action on her TV present. She envisions utilizing her distinctive model of cooking, cultural influences, and persona not solely to entertain but additionally to coach and empower folks, encouraging them to discover various dishes and rethink vegan meals in a brand new mild.
Not too long ago, Naik collaborated with vegan eatery Café Gratitude in Venice, CA to host a pop-up banquet. Representing the primary time that Café Gratitude has partnered with a South Asian chef, the occasion provided a four-course plant-based Indian-Fusion tasting menu accompanied by reside acoustic music.
Priyanka Naik
Subsequent month, Naik is taking part within the 2024 South Seaside Wine and Meals Pageant and FoodieCon, the place she would be the solely vegan South Asian chef within the lineup. Naik will probably be taking part in numerous occasions, from interactive panels to guide signings. She additionally plans to share her journey of transitioning from a senior govt in tech to a full-time chef and content material creator within the panel titled “From Cubicle to Content material.”
Amidst the glamor and vitality of the competition, Naik goals to ship a strong message to friends. As a vegan chef, she desires to emphasise the significance of inclusivity within the culinary world. Naik seeks to interrupt stereotypes surrounding veganism and South Asian delicacies, proving that these culinary experiences will not be solely various but additionally scrumptious.
“My presence on these levels amongst all of those proficient cooks and culinary artists solidifies that vegan culinary specialists want a seat on the desk—to broaden the dialog, showcase the flexibility in vegan meals/life-style, and share the great thing about South Asian tradition,” Naik says.
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Nicole Axworthy is the Information Editor at VegNews and writer of the cookbook DIY Vegan.
