Starting My Journey & Juneteenth

When I was a teenager visiting my family’s native Bangladesh, I told my grandmother that I wanted to be a chef.

”Baburchi hoba?” Her loving laugh echoed through the room and lingered, there and within me. A professional, respectable career in food was not a commonly paved path in her time and place, despite food being a central part of our families and communities.

In contrast, I grew up knowing that I had many pathways ahead thanks to my parents’ constant ambition and messaging that with hard work and some luck, many goals in life are within reach. Running home to watch food shows, cook with my mother and make a mess of our suburban New York kitchen are some of the most precious seeds I hold and am now ready to cultivate.

This day where I celebrate my personal milestone of pursuing my culinary ambitions and the continuity of my family’s access to opportunity is on the eve of Juneteenth, at long last federally recognized. The legacy of Black culinary arts and entrepreneurship is what created the American food scene that I fell so deeply in love with, and I take forward with me on this journey a reverence for the contributions of those before and around me who make my own dreams achievable.

After many fruitful years of working with entrepreneurs who dare to pursue their calling, it’s time for me to do the same. Here, I’ll be documenting my foray into creating a professional pathway for myself in the food world. What’s that pathway going to be? Well, the dream right now is to have a kitchen space where you - yes, you - can come cook with me (or… against me!) and tell me about yourself.

I’ll see you there, one day. Stay tuned and stay connected with me!