The Millennial Kitchen: Tanvi Shah Talks Cooking for a Cause Through Akshaya Patra Partnership
“The first thing I learned is that healthy food is actually delicious” Today’s woman dreamer, Tanvi Shah is a woman to know in the food space. She co-authored cookbook “The Millennial Kitchen” with her daughter, Mira. She is dedicated to healthy eating and creating unique recipes that others can seek inspiration from in their own kitchens. Dedicated to “cooking for the cause”, the proceeds of the Millennial Kitchen are supporting Akshaya Patra. In her Women Who Win interview, Tanvi reflects on the inspiration behind the book, her recent feature in Nasdaq, and she shares 2 must try hearty fall recipes! Enjoy!
1. You are a food entrepreneur, and co-authored "The Millennial Kitchen" with your daughter, an easy to use cook book that donates its proceeds to Akshaya Patra. Your work here was recently recognized by NASDAQ. What inspired your interest in food and philanthropy?
I have always had a passion to cook but my Ikigai to cook balanced mindful meals was inspired entirely by my children who had completely different body types. While one is an ectomorph the other is an endomorph, hence I started creating recipes with different caloric values but with a similar look and flavor so I could please both the kids without making them feel that they were eating differently.
Most of our holidays are not spent in hotels but in rented flats where I can cook one meal for the family with local groceries. Local grocery shopping is always a part of our travel experience. On one such trip to London we saw local Gurdwara trucks feeding the homeless and my then 9 year old son Vir insisted we must do the same for the homeless in India.
A few months later I took a trip for the kids to see the Wagah border where Vir, Mira and I sat shoulder to shoulder with strangers from across India, at the “langar” in Amritsar's Golden Temple. Vir's words spoken in London came back to me. There is nothing quite like a visit to the Golden
Temple to humble even the most restless soul. Home to the world's largest free kitchen, the temple feeds nearly 100,000 people a day without charging a single rupee for it. Young, old and millennial sit together, shoulder to shoulder, on a spotless floor, as they are served wholesome vegetarian meals by an army of volunteers. Every single bite delicious; every single dish cooked cooked with heart.
On returning from The Golden Temple we started a home based pop up to sell dips and pickles and called our project “Cook for a Cause”. After much reading and research we decided to give our hard earned profits to The Akshaya Patra Foundation as I found the foundation to be solid in terms of efficiency, impact and purpose. Thereafter, my daughter Mira and I decided to publish the book with a long term vision that even after she goes to college we can continue to raise funds and awareness about the foundation even after Mira went to college and could no longer continue the weekend projects. I was overwhelmed and humbled by the coverage on NASDAQ news.
2. You also studied food chemistry at Harvard, and have ethos of no sugar and clean macro balanced meals in her kitchen reflects in her recipes. What are some of the most interesting things you learned about healthy food that you incorporate in your work?
The first thing I learned is that healthy food is incredibly delicious.
The second thing I learned is that it makes one feel joyful and energetic. The third thing I learned is that one can grow to like what is good for our body. Processed hyper palatable foods are easy to fall prey to to create harmful habits for one and all. So it’s all a matter of exposure and habit. I truly believe that to get intuitive about a long term lifestyle modification one has to be disciplined and mindful first and then it becomes intuitive.
3. What are your top tips to busy women on a clean, well-balanced diet?
A little time spent planning goes a long way in reaping long term benefits. So I believe one must plan one’s own home cooked meals. If one has to eat out eat countable clean food. Stay away from processed foods, high glycemic sugar laden and fat laden carbs. Have carbs but smart carbs. And never forget the importance of adequate lean protein. One has to understand what one needs based on one’s lifestyle and activity levels as one size does not fit all.
4. Your daughter Mira co-authored the book with you and is also interested in the food space. What is the most exciting part of sharing your dream and passion with your daughter?
The biggest joy now for me is to see my daughter being quick and creative in cooking for herself at her flat in Scotland. While she loves going out with her friends both to eat and party she is mindful of her food intake and enjoys cooking for herself. She is also very helpful and supportive to me for all my work, events and helps me each opportunity she gets when she is on holiday from college.
Check out one of her fall recipes from The Millennial Kitchen Below
Thank you Tanvi for sharing your story and recipes with us! We are excited to have you in our global network!
WHO WE ARE