At age 32, Saran has already
become a respected food authority, poised to make great contributions
to the development of Indian food in the United States. He
is at once faithful to the authentic homemade dishes of his
youth, and yet a champion of the great diversity that India
has to offer and the continual evolution of these multitude
flavors.
In September 2004, Saran opened the 75-seat restaurant
Dévi, a tribute in
name to the mother goddess and in flavor to the best of regional
Indian cooking using fresh, seasonal ingredients. “At Dévi,
each plate is a journey, introducing layers of tastes and textures,
hot and cold, sweet and savory, building tiny contrasts,”
explains Saran. “In just one meal, you can experience a full
spectrum of flavors. This is the essence of home cooking.”
Dévi also brings the talents of tandoori
master Hemant Mathur, whom Saran has worked with for over
10 years and formerly teamed up with at Amma, which they opened
in 2003 and worked together at until April 2004.
While food is a lifelong love for Saran,
he began his professional career in art. After studying at
the venerable Sir J. J. School of Arts in Bombay, he moved
to New York City in 1993 to study at the School of Visual
Arts. He was manager at a Metropolitan Museum of Art store,
a buyer for Bergdorf Goodman, and later director of retail
merchandising for the home collection at Henri Bendel. While
the business of art occupied his days, his nights were always
filled by cooking elaborate meals for an ever-growing crowd
of friends and food followers who eventually urged Saran to
teach classes and cater events.
In 1997, Saran joined the staff of NYU’s
Department of Food and Nutrition teaching what became some
of their most popular classes. Saran then started his own
small catering business and it soon became one of New York’s
hottest catering companies as heralded by New York Magazine
in 1999.
Saran’s first cookbook Indian Home Cooking:
A Fresh Introduction to Indian Food, with More Than 150 Recipes
(Clarkson Potter/Publishers), with veteran food writer Stephanie
Lyness, was published in September 2004. His upcoming cookbook,
American Masala, will be published by Clarkson Potter in 2007.
In
addition, he contributes his time to cause-related organizations
such as Spoons Across America for its “Days of Taste”
program for New York City schoolchildren; Citymeals-on-Wheels;
Share Our Strength; City Harvest; The James Beard Foundation;
Earth Pledge Foundation; the South Asia Tsunami Relief fundraiser
“New York Chefs Cooking For Life”; SAKHI for anti-domestic
violence against women of South Asian origin; World Music
Institute; The Foundry Theatre; Legal Aid for Immigration;
and The Peace Corps Fund, among others.
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