Welcome to my portal - The Gourmet Launchpad

"It's amazing how pervasive food is. Every second commercial is for food. Every second TV episode takes place around a meal. In the city, you can't go ten feet without seeing or smelling a restaurant. There are 20 foot high hamburgers up on billboards. I am acutely aware of food, and its omnipresence is astounding".

- Adam Scott

So true! And in a country like India, the variety is more pronounced. Coming from a maharashtrian background, specifically GSB (Gaud Saraswat Brahmin), my taste buds are more sensitive to spicy and sharp flavors - from misal-paav to sol kadhi and from Kombadi wade to suka bombil.

This blog is an effort to pen down all the culinery experiments that go on in my kitchen. This is an attempt to put together not only exotic recipes but also 'Quick meals' which can be ready to go. Most of my cooking is inspired by my mother who is not only an expert in maharashtrian recipes but also loves improvising. This blog is also inspired by many food blogs which I regularly visit in search of variety, some of my friends who often send me their success stories for me to try out and last but not the least, my husband who is often the guinea pig for my tests and trials.

A brief background of myself, I come from the investment banking world, MBA by qualification. Born and raised in Bombay (now Mumbai) and now I live in United States with my husband, PhD in Mechanical Engineer by profession and currently working as a research engineer. I have several hobbies encompassing reading, swimming, hiking, travelling and when I am not doing any of this, I really enjoy sitting quietly in my patio sipping tea (if the weather permits ofcourse!)

I would appreciate and welcome all your suggestions and comments. If you have any interesting recipes, please send them to me and I would love to post them on this portal.

I welcome you to this journey with flavors and spices...

Warm Regards,
Rachana Nabar Deshpande