What real Indian flavors looks like

EST Media

Roni Mazumdar is a culinary trailblazer. The mastermind behind popular NYC restaurant, Masalawala & Sons, Roni is ready to disrupt your idea of what Indian food really looks like. Largely impacted by colonialism, the richness and diversity of Indian food has never been accurately represented in the West. Roni is changing that. Together with Chef Chintan Pandya, Roni co-founded Unapologetic Foods, a visionary restaurant group in NYC that boldly offers unapologetic Indian cuisine. The duo present authentic Indian dishes from  lesser-known regions, shedding light on unexplored Indian culinary traditions. While making waves in the NYC food scene, Roni Mazumdar never forgets his roots. His first restaurant, Masalawala & Sons in NYC is an ode to his father, Satyen Mazumdar, and the cherished dishes of his childhood.  Director Keshia Hannam  Producers Stephanie Tangkilisan  Editor Ruolin Luyo  Director of Photography Alison Boya Sun Prakhar Deep Jain  Translation  Masuma Khan  Editor-in-Chief Keshia Hannam  Head of Production Stephanie Tangkilisan  Producer Joy Jihyun Jeong  Post Production Coordinator Skolastika Lupitawina  Assistant Editor Rendy Abi  Color Nadya Shabrina  Sound Ezound Studios  Original Theme Song & Music by Fabian Mansur  Additional Music by Captain Qubz – Close to Me - Instrumental Version Suraj Nepal – Rhythm of Soul ft. Rohit Manandhar Suraj Nepal – Mood  Additional Archival Material Esquire Food & Wine Magazine Forbes Getty Images James Beard Awards National Geographic Traveller India The Juggernaut The New York Times  Special Thanks Roni Mazumdar Chintan Pandya Satyen Mazumdar

Transcript

00:00 The expression that you're seeing through food right now,

00:03 it took many years to build up to that.

00:05 There are inherent problems of a perception

00:08 that exists with our cuisine

00:09 that I think we needed to shake and break through.

00:12 So when I first started,

00:20 it was actually at the restaurant called

00:22 the Masala Wala in 2011.

00:23 It was my father and I.

00:24 - Why?

00:25 - And the reason I was doing that

00:27 was because my dad was retiring

00:28 and I thought it would be fun

00:29 for him to not be feeling old.

00:31 I could tell, looking at him,

00:33 that he had absolutely no idea

00:34 what he was going to do next.

00:36 And as a son, I felt, "What can I do?"

00:39 I said, "I think we should open up a little restaurant."

00:41 He said, "It's the stupidest idea I've ever heard."

00:44 - Finally, he convinced me.

00:46 I said, "Okay, I'll go there."

00:47 And when I started, I was so excited.

00:50 (upbeat music)

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