ABOUT CHEF GAUTAM

Food entered my life long before I ever thought about cooking. I was born and raised in India in a vegetarian family with very limited means. Eating out was not part of life — restaurants simply did not exist for us. Food was home-cooked, modest, and guided by necessity as much as by values.

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Being Jain shaped how I approach cooking — with intention, minimal harm, and respect for ingredients in their most natural form. These principles became a foundation, not a choice.

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I moved to Colorado on a full scholarship to study mathematics. Nearly thirty years ago, far from home, I chose to follow a strict Jain vegetarian path. At the time, even vegetarian food was difficult to find. Cooking began as a necessity, and over time became a source of calm, focus, and meaning.

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As life unfolded across San Francisco, Philadelphia, London, and now Los Angeles, my kitchen evolved. My cooking became more plant-forward, lighter, and intentionally simple. The cuisines changed; the values did not.

FODMAP awareness added another layer of care, reinforcing that food must be both principled and gentle. What I cook today reflects this balance — vegetarian, Jain, plant-forward, and supportive of the body.

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Plantains became a natural substitute in my kitchen, replacing ingredients that fall outside Jain and FODMAP cooking, and slowly grew into the base of many dishes I love to create. And like poetry, cooking within mindful boundaries invites creativity rather than limits it. Plantain Poetry is a reflection of that journey. This space is not just about recipes or rules. It reflects a journey shaped by constraint, principle, and lived experiences.

 

Cooking is not my profession. It is something I do for my soul — and something I love to share.