nupur arora

My story is a pleasant cocktail of multiple cultural influences! I was born and raised in India in a multilingual household. My parents are from two different states with two different languages and food cultures so we grew up in a beautiful fusion of both. I came to New York 25 years ago and fell in love with my borough of Queens, the most diverse borough in the world! Here, I could roll into South America on the “7” train, go to Israel with a short 5 minute drive or get transported to Poland by taking a bus ride, all in one day! It reminded me so much of my life in India that I was awestruck by Queens to the point where I just didn’t want to live anywhere else ever! For training my palette and my knowledge of cooking, I owe a lot to the melting pot of flavors that New York really is. Even though I mostly cook dishes from different parts of India- Punjabi, Bengali and Sindhi, I also dabble in some Mexican, Korean and Chinese food, I give all the credit for that to living in Queens! My journey that started from being a home cook for 18 years, cooking for my husband’s large family, has led to a cook book “A Vegan Indian Home”, which has led to becoming a woman owned business selling home style vegan meals to students of New York universities. The year 2020 has begun with the launch of my new corporation NAMASTAY Foods and Bev Corp, producing and selling my Indian spices and beverages to worldwide food lovers. When I’m not cooking in the commercial kitchen, I am cooking up a storm as a radio presenter for an Indo Caribbean radio station! Believe it or not, it’s not uncommon for some Bollywood and Chutney playlists to be playing in my kitchen while I roll out my specialties. Sometimes I think, it’s THAT joy that translates into making my food yummy! As a chef, I encourage everyone to gather at the dinner table and slow down to enjoy the gift of food made with LOVE.