OLIF

At what point, does dessert, meet the spectrum of art and wellness? I have been pondering on this question alot lately. Does it heal the creator as much as it heals the consumer? Would we create and consume differently, if we were to pause for a bit, slow down, and notice the nuances of our work?

I have always liked to push the corners of what I know, whether it’s in pastry or life. Here, I have tried to capture the essence of summer in this dessert, the base is made of a dark cocoa millet and seeds sponge, paired with a Kala Namak Jamun Mousseline and Alphonso Mango Mousse, topped with a Jamun Veil. This beauty is also plant based, vegan, gluten free and made without any white sugar.

For me, each creation captures a phase, a moment of my life, like the bougainvillea growing in this peak summer heat, sprawling all across Delhi, or the seasonal Jamun giving a tough competition to the most beloved Mango. Tell me, what are your thoughts? What emotions does art and dessert evoke in you?

Experimenting in the kitchen never stops. Always taking pride in using homegrown, Indian ingredients, today’s core ingredient was . It is bold, smooth and goes so well in a dessert. It pairs beautifully, with mascarpone, coffee, apples, pecans, bananas, peaches, and cinnamon. I made a luscious Whiskey salted Caramel, a Whiskey Cinnamon Vanilla Chantily, to go on our Pecan Banoffee Pie. For the other dessert, I kept it quite simple, a Whiskey Tiramisu. Tell me which one is your favourite?

Textures in the OLIF kitchen today. An all vegan spread from a catering.

Mini Pita Pockets filled with roasted Vegetables, inhouse hummus, chickpeas, pomegranate, microgreens, parsley topped with a vegan tzatziki, tomato basil bruschetta, and a hibiscus mint orange iced tea cooler.

Have you ever felt how some places always feel like home and welcome you with open arms?

Sunder Nursery has always been one of those to me, particularly the Sunday Market there. I love to hoard on to the produce at the market, or enjoy some delicacies at the food stalls (my favourite being the Jackfruit Kebab Sliders at the )

It’s pet friendly, easily accessible, and central. Winter and spring times are the best to visit.

Authenticity, passion and creativity, speak across disciplines, people of different cultures, languages and mediums. Time and again, I am reminded of this reality whenever I come across a business owner true to their craft, a teacher immersed in imparting knowledge, or just another space, that embodies the above. Often, the atmosphere of the place hits you first, the comfort, a familiar song playing in the background, a sense of ease. Amidst the hustle bustle of Hauz Khas, I found a true gem of a place, a pottery studio, named Naveen Chhaya, .16 cofounded by the duo - Aniruddh Sagar and Arti Paliwal, the place embodies slowness. The teacher, Mr Ravi is articulate, helps you understand the nuances between life, clay, and patience.

To be frank, dear reader, I struggled with slowing down on the wheel, I noticed my natural tendency to quicken the pace. My mind is naturally exploratory, overthinks, analyses, while it is a blessing in testing, ideation, creativity, it asks for a grounding force somedays. Today, was one of those days.

As soon as I touched the clay on the wheel, I didn’t realise, how quickly, an hour went by. Kitchens have had this notion of being, fast paced, steady, yet always on top of things. I realise how slowness can in fact, be a differentiator. The clay taught me to pause, reflect, and put tenderness back into my craft. It reminded me, how sometimes, in life, it is essential to surrender, and flow.

Rarely one to hop on content trends, but this one got me invested. Little Sim, would be so proud.