At the beginning of the pandemic in 2020, when uncertainty was on the rise, I found solace in building an edible garden and cooking some of my favorite foods that I grew up eating back in Bangalore. This project is about the journey of belonging to a network of home cooks as part of Bay Area’s Shef community.

My menu was inspired by the food I cook for my family everyday. It also reminded me of my home in Bengaluru, where we took street food for granted. My experience with the home cook exploration has been very reqarding, I finally know what it is to have every single dish coming out a kitchen to be your best.

Unlike a designer, a chef is is judged by his last dish. The pressure to keep up with perfectionism is high, but the feedback and joy was very rewarding. Of course, this community of home cooks or shefs are still popular in the Bay Area.