Join Hetal Vasavada and Samantha Seneviratne for a night of sweet talk!
Hetal Vasavada, author of Milk and Cardamom, grew up in New Jersey in a family of Gujarati home cooks who raised her on chai, cardamom-spiced shortbreads, and sweet puddings. In her latest book, Desi Bakes, she blends those traditional Indian flavors, as well as Indian culture, handicrafts, and art, with Western baking techniques. Learn what to bring to a friend's Diwali celebration, how to use rose syrup to sweeten chai, and how to mimic beautiful Indian textiles with icing on cookies at this sweet conversation between Hetal Vasavada and Samantha Seneviratne.
Ticket includes access to Flavor: The World to Your Brain from 6 to 7pm and baked goods from Desi Bakes.
Copies of Desi Bakes can be pre-purchased in a ticket bundle and during the program from our partner bookseller, Kitchen Arts & Letters.
Hetal Vasavada grew up in New Jersey in a family of wonderful Gujarati home cooks who raised her on chai, cardamom-spiced shortbreads, and sweet puddings. After a cross-country move, Vasavada started to recreate the flavors of her childhood—this time in her own style—which eventually landed her a spot on Gordon Ramsay’s MasterChef, where she was the show’s first Hindu vegetarian contestant. Vasavada is the author of Milk and Cardamom, has a successful Instagram channel (@milkandcardamom), blog and online pop-up bakery, and is a contributor at Bon Appétit, Food & Wine, Eater, Cherry Bombe, Food52, and more. Hetal is based in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Samantha Seneviratne is a baker, host, food stylist, recipe developer. She is the author of three baking books: The New Sugar & Spice, The Joys of Baking, and Bake Smart. She’s the host of Everyday Cooking on Magnolia Network and a regular contributor to New York Times Cooking. Samantha lives in Brooklyn with her son Artie and pup Frances.
Kitchen Arts & Letters is a bookstore devoted to food and drink, with titles imported from around the world. They emphasize works on food culture and innovation.