A former sommelier and fine-dining professional, Sarah Thomas is now the co-founder and Chief Brand Officer at Kalamata’s Kitchen, where she brings together her lifelong passions for both food and books. The daughter of two south Indian immigrants, Sarah grew up in the rural town of Somerset, Pennsylvania, and was surrounded by food from a young age. Her parents very much kept their Indian culture alive through the food they cooked, and Sarah would spend summers in Kerala visiting her grandparents, forming some of her earliest food memories. Sarah’s love for food is what eventually led her to the hospitality industry. After helming the wine program at Bar Marco and launching the nationally-recognized Wine Room at Bar Marco, she spent nearly six years as a sommelier at 3-star Michelin Le Bernardin, where she obtained the prestigious Advanced Sommelier certification. Along with food, books played a special role in Sarah’s upbringing, eventually leading to a Masters in literature from the University of Cambridge. Like many first generation kids, Sarah grew up with what she felt were two conflicting identities, with her strong Indian heritage seeming to contrast against the mostly white rural town where she lived, and literature became a way for her to escape into another world. Through her storytelling work with Kalamata’s Kitchen, Sarah hopes to create a confident character that other children of color can see themselves in, while also encouraging all kids to look at different foods and cultures with a sense of curiosity and compassion. Sarah has authored two books in the Kalamata’s Kitchen series, with an animated series in development. IG: @sarahthomas @kalamataskitchen YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QSTB0frR_CI&list=PLYnCjZ8ouCFSob7fl6W3CHx1MO3Kiq7I2 The Today Show: https://www.today.com/recipes/kalamatas-chaat-adventure-t260701

Hetal Vasavada is a Jersey native who has adopted the Bay Area as her home. She gained popularity after competing on the show MasterChef. She wrote the cookbook, ⁠Milk and Cardamom⁠, which was named one of the top cookbooks of 2019 by The Washington Post and San Francisco Chronicle. Her  recipes have been featured in The New York Times, ⁠Food and Wine⁠, Bon Appetit, Tasty and more! Her online bakery sent yummy treats including her famous Gulab Jamun cake around the country. You can find her on Instagram and  watch her cooking demonstrations as well as  her dosa making husband & fabulous daughter. I’ve been inspired by her food, her travels, family  and honesty about doing real life. Website: https://milkandcardamom.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/milkandcardamom/

Reena Ninan is a journalist and entrepreneur. She is the founder of Good Trouble Productions, a media company focused on creating content with purpose. As a TV journalist, she anchored for ABC, CBS, and Fox News. She also created two top-rated podcasts: Ask Lisa: The Psychology of Parenting and HERO: The Hidden Economics of Remarkable Women with Foreign Policy and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Her family is originally from Kerala, India. Reena began her career as a reporter in Baghdad.  She was sent to cover the Saddam Hussein trial.  The day she arrived her hotel was car bombed four times in ten minutes.  That moment launched her international reporting career. She soon became Middle East Correspondent for Fox News where she reported from Lebanon to Libya. She was seven months pregnant when she traveled to meet Hezbollah officials in the suburbs of Beirut. Reena also covered the Mumbai Attacks for Fox News.. During her time in the Middle East she interviewed US President Jimmy Carter, Hamas militant leader Mahmoud Zahar,  Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert. She has covered wars in Gaza, Benghazi, Lebanon, and Iraq.  In 2012 she became White House Correspondent for ABC News where she covered the Obama White House. She also traveled with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Reena anchored World News Now and the early morning show American this Morning. She later went on to anchor the CBS Saturday Night Weekend News and for CBS’ digital network, CBSN. She is most passionate about foreign affairs, news, and content innovation. Follow on Instagram: @reenaninan @goodtroubleprod @asklisapodcast @news3net

Renji Bijoy, the founder of Immersed, a Techstars startup partnered with Facebook, HTC, & Microsoft to build VR Offices, which has raised $12M to date. Renji is part of 2021’s Forbes 30 Under 30, received a Master’s degree from Georgia Tech (#3 Computer Science graduate school in the US) in Computer Vision + Machine Learning, was a Techstars portfolio founder (top 10 of 10,000 candidates, top 0.1%), and was the lead software architect @ GreatBigStory.com (growth-hacked to 3M followers in 2 months)! Based in Austin, TX he leads his company with compassion and works hard for his team and family. He enjoys time with his church family, playing basket ball in the early hours of the morning and watching The Office when he gets a break! LINKS: Forbes 30 under 30: https://www.forbes.com/profile/renji-bijoy/?list=30under30-consumer-technology&sh=cc3876b79421 Twitter: https://twitter.com/renjibijoy?lang=en LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/renjibijoy/ IG: https://www.instagram.com/renji.bijoy/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@renji.bijoyImmersd : https://immersed.com/

James A. Mathew is CEO of The Outer Voice Company – a groundbreaking South Asian American entertainment group that operates across music, media, and events. He is a recording artist and songwriter himself, as well as a global brand fellow for Nike. Raised outside of Chicago, James is a recent graduate of Harvard College, where he served as the 38th Student Body President. https://theoutervoicecompany.com/ IG: jamesamathew

Keith Sarasin is a renowned chef, culinary expert, and cookbook author who has dedicated over a decade to studying the art of Indian cuisine. With a deep passion for the food and culture of the Indian subcontinent, he has honed his skills through extensive research and study, Sarasin is the author of four cookbooks that offer a wealth of recipes and tips on topics such as meat cooking and preparation, the art of dehydration, and seasonal recipes using the freshest ingredients from local farmers. In addition to his books, he is currently filming a documentary-style show, "Finding India," which chronicles his personal journey as a chef, from overcoming tragedy to rediscovering his passion for cooking Chef Keith Sarasin hosts  Aatma, a one-of-a-kind pop-up restaurant that offers a unique tasting experience  showcasing the vibrant flavors of the Indian subcontinent using modern cooking techniques and styles.  And the way I know Keith from a podcast he recorded during the pandemic called More Than Masala, co-hosted with Ragini Kashyap and they walk through the world of spices.  + INSTAGRAM ► https://www.instagram.com/keithsarasin + TIKTOK ► https://www.tiktok.com/@chefkeithsarasin + FACEBOOK ►  https://www.facebook.com/chefkeithsarasin + TWITTER ► https://twitter.com/KeithSarasin + AATMA RESTAURANT! ► https://www.aatmarestaurant.com/ + MORE THAN MASALA PODCAST ►https://apple.co/3ssy38P

Chef Vijay Kumar. He grew up on his family’s farm in a small town near Madurai, located in the Southern part of India. Vijay helped his mother and grandmother in farming and cooking. It was during this childhood upbringing where his passion for fresh ingredients and cooking arose. Vijay graduated in Hotel Management and Catering Technology in India. He worked in some of the best hotel kitchens in India before working on Cruise Ships for several years where he perfected his style of food art and presentation with unique knife skills and the use of fresh fruits, vegetables, and flowers. When Vijay came to the United States, he worked at Michelin restaurants in CA until 2021 when he moved to  New York City.   He’s been at Semma serving heritage Southern Indian cuisine inspired by his upbringing, which has been named a Top Ten New Restaurant of the Year by Bon Appetit, one of the Top 50 Restaurants of the Year by The New York Times, and a Michelin star making it the only Indian restaurant in the United States with this honor.

Sam Fore is a Sri Lankan-American chef and recipe developer based in Lexington, Kentucky. Her pop-up, Tuk Tuk Sri Lankan Bites, crisscrosses the country to bring her -Sri Lanka meets the South -dishes to diners far and wide. She started the pop-up in 2016 after traditional Sri Lankan brunches in her home outgrew her dining room.  Fore’s cooking is a reflection of her Sri Lankan upbringing in the American South; her dishes include her spin on Southern classics as well as new riffs on her family's time-tested recipes. Her recipes can be found in multiple national publications and across the web. In 2021 she joined the cast of Christopher Kimball’s Milk Street, which you can watch on PBS. In 2023, Fore was honored by the James Beard Foundation Awards as a Finalist for Best Chef: Southeast. Fore plans to open the Tuk Tuk Snack Shop in Lexington, Kentucky by Fall 2023  Find her : http://www.tuktuklex.com/ Instagram: @tuktuklex @kolagoodies is her milk tea drink of choice

Riji Raja, founder of Affirmation Darling, a wellness stationery brand built on powerful affirmations. She originally grew up in Kuwait. After living in TX, she and her husband moved from Dallas to Los Angeles to pursue acting.  With the high cost of living in SoCal, their living situation quickly fell apart, forcing them to downsize from a two-bedroom to a one-bedroom to an apartment shared with ten other people before finally living in their car. They were homeless for two years, but thanks to a mission-hiring company, they were able to sign a long-term lease in 2019 on a new apartment.   This took a toll on their mental well-being which is the inspiration behind the social impact stationery business project called “Affirmation Darling”. Her flagship product is AffirmActions™, a box of cards with Affirmations + Actions for Artists & Creatives.  She advocates for young adults from underserved & disadvantaged communities facing homelessness & mental health issues by donating her stationary for each one sold. INSTAGRAM: @riji.raja https://youtu.be/XxQS_9d3su https://unrestrictedtheatre.co.uk/ex-homeless-actors-launch-inspiring-new-business-to-help-others/

Preeti Waas is the chef-owner of Cheeni Indian Food Emporium in Raleigh, NC.  From a young child in India fascinated by the alchemy of baking to a James Beard Best Chef Southeast semifinalist in 2023, one thing has never changed for Preeti - the gratification and joy of feeding people. She is a self-taught cook and baker who is always curious - and always hungry. https://www.cheeniraleigh.com/ on Instagram: @cheeniraleigh