India’s culinary heritage is one of the vastest in the world. Preserving this culture is the duty of our Indian chefs. And while many ventures for foreign cuisines, upcoming home chefs have chosen to explore inside the territory. 

Sneha Saikia is an Assamese chef who is set to make people fall in love with the North-eastern cuisine. While her profession initially was that of a fashion designer, fate had different plans for Sneha.

As a young kid, Sneha was never encouraged to be a part of the kitchen. Her first cooking experience was at her own birthday party, where she made a meal for 30 people all on her own! She learned the art of cooking by watching other people cook on television and in real life. As she begging to explore the culinary world by joining various foodie groups, chef clubs, she came to a realisation that people were unaware of the gems of the North-eastern cuisine. So she made it her mission to introduce her culinary heritage to India!

Describing her love for Assamese cuisine she says  - “Northeastern food is fresh, healthy and flavorful. We add flavours with herbs which is healthy. Even WHO has declared our cuisine as the most healthy food of India. I love the flavour of fresh bamboo shoots in curries. The tanginess of roselle leaves in meat or any veg curry, the bitter vegetables which purify” blood.”

While some question her authenticity for not living in Assam and promoting authentic Assamese cuisine, she had proved them wrong through her journey. She receives all her ingredients from Assam and gives them back to her community. Sneha Saikia is an inspiration along with being a great chef!