My cooking journey began in India almost 40 years ago. I was born in Mumbai and grew up amidst the colour and chaos of spice markets, tea houses, dairy compounds, bakeries, flour mills and streets burgeoning with mango trees, fruit carts and mounds and mounds of fresh farm produce.

Even as a child, I had an infinite hunger, curiosity and admiration for food and cooking. The first two decades of my life were spent exploring the expansive Indian cuisine in all its glory and steeped in tradition. From sun-drying spices and grinding them to create our “house” masala blends, to pickling raw mango, lemons and chillies in giant ceramic jars and making a dozen different kinds of rotis/parathas/kulchas/naans to accompany fresh cooked regional curries, dals and sabjis daily.

In my youth, I lived in Singapore and travelled across Southeast Asia, absorbing the culture, sights, sounds, smells and tastes of Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia. Woks and woks of smoke-kissed stir-fries, hand-pulled noodles, dumplings and luscious sauces became part of daily life. Asian cooking became a staple in my home along with Indian, Mexican and Italian cooking.

Finally, I arrived in Australia 20 years ago with a successful cooking blog, decades of cooking experience and a passion to share my knowledge through traditional techniques, one special recipe at a time. This country, with its endless beauty and bounty, is where my heart feels at home.

In 2026, I opened the doors to my Cooking School in Sydney’s north, a dream many years in the making. The Cook Republic Cooking School is a space for cooking classes that feel alive with energy, for bespoke workshops that invite deeper exploration, for cookbook launches that celebrate stories and voices, and for meetups that turn strangers into community. A vibrant, inclusive, expansive space where hands meet ingredients, where ideas are shared freely, where food becomes both language and connection. A place where you can arrive as you are, and leave a little more inspired, a little more nourished—body and soul.