76
|
M
AR
CH
(^2)
(^01)
9
M
A
K
ER
S
(^) /
(^) C
O
M
M
U
N
IT
Y
strain called Pragati organically outside of the city
of Vijayawada in Andhra Pradesh. “If you don’t care
about the way that I’m growing this and the quality
of the product,” he told her, “then I would rather
not sell to you.”
Those things were precisely what she cared about.
Javeri Kadri and Kasaraneni agreed on a price
around four-and-a-half times the going rate, which
meant that Kasaraneni could pay his pickers more
to harvest the turmeric. He steams and sun-dries
the rhizomes instead of utilizing quicker methods
that rob the turmeric of its intensity—Pragati has a
particularly bold (but not bitter) flavor and high
curcumin content. While Kasaraneni works toward
establishing his own mill, he reserves extra time at
the nearest facility, so he can clean the equipment
of any dirt and turmeric left behind by other farm-
ers (who may not be farming organically) before
grinding his single-varietal harvest.
Their shared devotion to quality shows: The tur-
meric is ruddy and intense, almost sticky with fla-
vorful oils. Oakland chef Preeti Mistry, who arrives at
the party with a pan of cumin- and turmeric-laced
cauliflower to share, says she loves Diaspora Co.’s
product for its sweet earthiness: “It’s potent—not
just yellow powder for color.”
Javeri Kadri compares her sourcing to buying
tomatoes: “This is like choosing one farmer’s crop
of dry-farmed Early Girls,” she says, instead of a
random mix of grocery store orbs. She plans to apply
the same philosophy to a larger portfolio, starting
with green and black cardamom. “Even if we scale
up to import from six different farms, we are always
going to make sure that you know which farm your
jar is from.”
After the meal, I ask Jackson about her hopes for
Javeri Kadri. “My wish,” she says, “is that Sana is able
to maintain her values and integrity, her authentic
approach to this endeavor. And I also hope for her
to find her community in it—for her not to be the
only one. I hope for her to be able to look around at
her landscape of food businesses and see that this
is the standard of operation and not the exception.”
GINGER-GARLIC BLACK COD P. 8 0
MANGO-TURMERIC AGUA FRESCA P. 8 0
SPICY GREEN CHUTNEY P. 8 0
facing page (from left to right):
Friends Jocelyn Jackson, of the Oakland-
based organization People’s Kitchen
Collective; chef Dominica Rice-Cisneros,
of Cosecha restaurant in Oakland; and
Javeri Kadri prepare the meal.
“THE WOMEN
ENTREPRENEURS OF
OAKLAND WANT TO
LIFT EACH OTHER UP.”
—SANA JAVERI KADRI
FO
OD
ST
YL
IN
G:^
ER
IN
QU
ON
;^ P
RO
P^ A
ND
S
ET
ST
YL
IN
G:
M
AT
GI
BI
LIS
CO