Ep #19 Sarah Thomas (Kalamata's Kitchen) on Being Brown & Bold with Jes Thomas

Ajay Chopra is a renowned Indian chef, consultant, and media personality. From hosting the popular show MasterChef India to successfully launching restaurants around the globe, Chef Ajay Chopra has made a lasting impact on the hospitality industry. Born into a Punjabi family in Lucknow, Chef Ajay Chopra's passion for diverse flavors ignited at a young age, shaping his love for food. With a prestigious gold medal from OCLD and extensive experience working at esteemed establishments, he founded Zion Hospitality. Chef through Zion Hospitality provides expert guidance to hotels, restaurants, and cafes. Chef Ajay Chopra's influence extends beyond his culinary ventures. On his YouTube channel, he shares the finest recipes from different regions of India, presented with a creative touch and his own unique cooking style. Through his series "The Big Daddy Chef," he encourages men to explore their culinary skills at home and create cherished family moments through food. With his unwavering passion, creative spirit, and extensive expertise, Chef Ajay Chopra continues to inspire aspiring chefs and food enthusiasts alike You can find him on YouTube, Instagram, Facebook @chefajaychopraX/Twitter - MChefAjayChopra

Pooja Bavishi is the Founder and CEO of Malai, an artisanal ice cream company with flavors inspired by nostalgic, aromatic spices and South Asian ingredients, based in Brooklyn, New York. She “founded Malai because desserts bring people joy and she wanted to be in the business of delivering happiness.. She won on Food Network’s Chopped Sweets Pooja went to college in her home state at UNC-Chapel Hill, an M.S. from the London School of Economics,and an M.B.A. from NYU. She and her ice cream has been written up in everything from Inc. Magazine to the NY Times. And if you haven’t tried her ice cream, you are missing out! IG: @malai_icecream, @pooja_bavishi_ https://www.malai.co/ EATERDC: https://dc.eater.com/2023/10/2/23899013/nyc-essential-ice-cream-shop-malai-dc-coming-attractions Marketplace News: https://www.marketplace.org/2024/01/05/for-this-brooklyn-ice-cream-company-2023-felt-like-the-first-year-were-back-on-track/

Jyoti Chand (aka Mamajotes on socials) is an author, influencer, funny mom, and advocate for self-care, self-love, and maternal mental health. She has a background in stand- up comedy and improv, which explains why her videos are so hilarious. So many women find her relatable because of her honesty on the socials. She shares the reality of motherhood and influences her audience to find the joy in their lives and shares all the things that make her life better & easier. Jyoti has a Masters of Fine Arts in Writing for Children and Young Adults from Hamline UniversityAnd exciting news, her first book, Fitting Indian, will be releasing November 2024. She is working on her second book amongst a plethora of other projects. Jyoti was born and raised in the suburbs of Los Angeles and now lives with her husband and 3 children in the suburbs of Chicago. Info & LINKS: On Instagram @thesoberdesi @mamajotes @jessoulfood We talk about: Born Confused #1 - Tanuja Desai Hidier They Called Us Exceptional by Prachi Gupta

Giselle Bonetti is a sensational mulit talented woman who has worked in various fields: Real Estate Agent, Business Owner for a Luxury  Concierge Services, Photographer, Child-focused international ministry and probably most well known for her cheffing skills as seen in the Netflix Cooking Competition, EASY BAKE BATTLE and won the whole thin and got the name, “Queen of flavor”.  She has thousand of followers on IG and can also be seeing on YouTube.  Find her on IG @cookingwithgiselle @goodthingsbygi @justgsells

MANWELL REYES was born in Frankfurt, Germany, Manwell moved to the United States when he was ten years old, but grew up all around the states - in Texas, Kansas and Florida. In 2003 he started a band called Group 1 Crew with friends Blanca Reyes and Pablo Villatoro. After being discovered on MySpace in 2006, the band was signed to Warner/Word records and the group recorded and toured together until 2016. He then parted ways to explore other creative avenues. At the end of 2017, Manwell started a new group called PANDA$, which was also quickly signed to Capitol Records in LA. Two years later in 2019, he decided to start a podcast, Nights at the Round Table, and launch a solo career, which eventually led him to his partnership with Resin8 Music. His music has been placed in everything from network promos, ad campaigns (XBOX), and most recently, in the latest NFL Shop & Fanatics 2023 Campaign! He is married and has a new baby and we are excited to hear about this chapter of his life. Follow him on Spotify and IG @manwellreyes. https://linktr.ee/manwellreyes?utm_source=linktree_profile_share&ltsid=7f4e365d-080b-40c2-8897-a589f2833e2c

Here's Jessny Joseph.  You might know her from Instagram as a digital content creator for her bodybuilding and most recently diving into her Malayalee heritage.  What you may not know about is her bicultural background, her science degree and her current career as a coder.  She’s had quite the journey growing up in Las Vegas and settling in TX. Follow her on IG: @jessnyjoseph You can also listen to this podcast form on SPOTIFY & Apple Podcast.

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/