Last weekend, we had a special event at Passion for Spices™ when Lathika George, the author of The Kerala Kitchen, came visiting. It was a celebration of a very special cookbook which features the cuisine of my own community, the Syrian Christians of Kerala. The revised version comes 15 years after it was first published by Hippocrene Books, New York and has a new Foreword by Dr. Abraham Verghese, author of The Covenant of Water.
The evening started with a video message from Dr. Verghese who spoke of his deep connection with the cuisine of his community, food from his grandmother's kitchen, the same recipes that feature in his book.
The menu for the multi course sit-down dinner was curated by Lathika George and brilliantly executed by Chef Hemant Mathur and his team worked around the clock to produce a sparkling ginger-lemon crush, appetizers, and one delicious dish after the other - all recipes are from The Kerala Kitchen.

Here are some highlights of the event. We had many friends and family travel from all over to attend this special event. They enjoyed the special Kerala feast, executed by Michelan Star Chef Hemant Mathur and team.

The event started off with a short video from Dr Abraham Verghese, author of the Covenant of Water and subject of Oprah Daily. This was a special surprise for his fans.

Dr Abraham Verghese, author of Covenant of Water, addressing the guests.

An Event highlight reel

The guests enjoying the Kerala Feast

We also had a book launch in New York at Chef Hemant Marthur’s restaurant, SAAR, A Tody Shop Event, courtesy of Christine Keeley.

Thank you Lathika George for showcasing the special cuisine through the stories and recipes from The Kerala Kitchen book.