cookbook author and blogger
Nik Sharma brings his whole
multicultural life into the
kitchen. Born and raised in
India, he worked as a molec-
ular geneticist in Washing-
ton, D.C., before moving
to Northern California and
devoting himself to cooking
and food photography.
Through his blog, A Brown
Ta bl e; a weekly San Francisco
Chronicle column about home
cooking ; and now his first
solo cookbook, Season: Big
Flavors, Beautiful Food, he in-
vites readers to experiment
with a dazzling array of
ingredients in very doable
ways. Here, in this excerpt
from his book, you’ll find
familiar Western favorites—
roast lamb, brussels sprouts,
spice cake—but with intrigu-
ing twists that open up a new
world of tastes.
THE WORLD IS GETTING SMALLER.
The Internet lets us explore other cultures and
countries in ways we never thought would be
possible, and migrant communities have brought
their cooking to our doorsteps. As a result, both
home cooks and chefs have a global palette of
ingredients and spices to play with.
I was born in Bombay (now Mumbai), itself
a melting pot. My mom is a Roman Catholic from
the former Portuguese colony of Goa. My dad
is Hindu, from Uttar Pradesh. So my sister and46 OCTOBER 2018 ❖ SUNSET