The First Cafe Gathering

Chit Chaat Chai cafe hosted it's first monthly gathering and celebrated new beginnings on Navroz day.  The cafe hosted dinner for 7 people with traditional foods from the Sindh region, Iran & a wonderful Parsi drink. We had a great group of people who surrounded the table with wonderful energy. Thank you all for coming  and supporting the first dinner of this alternative cafe. And a BIG thank you to Yve who found 2 more chairs for the cafe. Now we can host a bigger group - bring on more foodies!

Photos from the Navroz dinner

Sharbhat 

Rose flavored milk, with basil seeds, vegan vermicelli, vanila bean ice cream, crushed almonds and pistcios

Kashk Bedemjoon

Roasted eggplant and whey cheese topped with mint, fried onion & walnuts, Served with whole wheat pita

Machi Bhaat 

Potatoes & Halibt braised in a dill, fengreek, cilantro, garlic & green chilli broth. Served over basmati rice infised with mustard seeds

 

Served with

Cucumber & Roasted Cumin Raaita

Whipped yogurt with grated cucumber, roasted cumin & cilantro

Mark your calendars! 

Chit Chaat Chai Cafe re-opens on Sunday, April 25th, 2010

Beginnings

A new decade = a new journey and a time to begin creating the society we envision for our future (thank you Howard Zinn). Inspired by this proposal, a year or so of contemplation and loved ones pushing me to "go for it!", I finally found the courage to bring Chit Chaat Chai to fruition. Chit Chaat Chai will be a monthly gathering around the dinner table with friends and friends of friends to nourish body + mind + soul while experiencing cuisine mainly from Kathiawar (now part of Gujarat) region of India. This monthly dinner may not change society at large, but I hope that the experience will enlighten all of us in some small way.

 a little crumblet...

Many of my favorite memories are either in the kitchen, around a table or in a restaurant with loved ones. Some may say, what a typical foodie comment. Yes. I am a foodie! I love feeding, cooking, & eating food! However, aside from the joy of all things food, I also savor health. Last year, I began studying Ayurveda, an Indian philosophy for living a holistic balanced life. One of the aspects of this philosophy that was of great interest to me was surprise! on diet. Considering that Ayurveda states you are what you digest and what you don't digest is the root to all diseases, I thought I better pay attention. What I learned  in short was that nourishment does not just come from the ingredients of  each meal but, nourishment is also derived  from the energy that surrounds the meal from the time of preparation to consumption. This philosophy is my intention for this monthly gathering - to eat, to meet, to nourish. 

Beginning on Sunday, March 21st, 2010, the Persian New Year - Navrooz, or the first day of Spring  Chit Chaat Chai will host it's first monthly meal for 6 people. Monthly menus will be listed on this site along with a suggested donation. Donations will be based on the complexity of the meal to cover the cost of the expenses incurred. Meals will come with water  (occasionally a special concoction) and dessert will come with tea. Guests are welcome to bring alcoholic beverages if so desired.

Stay tuned for the Navrooz menu which will be out in a couple of weeks. I look forward to sharing a meal, conversation and laughter with you. Please email me at Chit.Chaat.Chai@gmail.com, if you have any questions, feedback or comments.

All meals will be made by me with efforts to use organic, local, natural, sustainable ingredients.