She grew up in a family where her father took a keen interest in food. Having a farmhouse in the outskirts of the city, she got to witness first hand, the entire process of farm-to-plate, thereby, getting inculcated into the rigour of food production. The respect, thus gathered for labour involved in the tedious task of farming alongside a dedication towards culinary perfection, found its way to the making of one of the finest home-chefs, specialising in Bengali cuisine, in the commercial capital of the country, Mumbai. Meet Somma Ghosh, our chef of the month.
It was 2019 when Somma’s passion for food and cooking, as noticed by her friends found a space in Authenticook, a “peer to peer marketplace connecting hosts with diners over cultural interactions.” And so began Kitchen Tales, a dining experience with the tag of home-cooked Bengali flavours for that dose of nostalgia and food cravings, especially for the (though not restricted to) Bengalis residing in Mumbai longing for a sense of home.
Somma has been cooking for close to three decades with 2019 cementing her skills into the bracket of a home chef. She curates menus, hosts pop-up kitchens, delivers food to her loyal fan base, conducts culinary tours with tourists coming to her home for that authentic Bengali dining experience, she writes about food, hosts cooking classes and is well covered by food writers in magazines about her culinary prowess.
It was during Covid that saw her delve deep into delivering food. With restaurants shut, public dining severely restricted, Somma found herself steeped with orders, especially during the festive season of Durga Pujo. It was hectic, to say the least. Five days (Shoshti, Saptami, Ashtami, Navami and Dashami) of serving lunch and dinner, back-to-back with her husband and son as sous-chefs in the kitchen, Somma still wonders how she managed it all. From food preparations beginning way before dawn, to cooking and packing; even though it was exhausting, the love for her food as expressed by her patrons, was the biggest remuneration she could have received.
As restaurants gradually opened and the pandemic moved towards a conclusion, public dining resumed. With many cloud kitchens closed, Somma’s orders declined which prompted her to take a short break. But soon she re-opened her services because those who had a taste of her delicious dishes, could not bid adieu. Kitchen Tales was back with a bang, doing what it does best: providing not just food but a culinary experience that guarantees the taste of home.
From birthday party orders to house-warming ceremonies, Somma prepares mouth-watering Bengali delicacies. And she goes by the season, incorporating seasonal produce to enhance the flavour and variety of her dishes. During strawberry season, she infused the Bengali staple aamshotyo chutney (dried sweet mango chutney) with strawberries, making it a hit with her patrons. During the month of Janmashtami (birth of Lord Krishna) the palm fruit is in season which in Somma’s ingenious hands turns into lip-smacking sweets, adding a dash of sweetness in Mumbai’s dreaded monsoons.
Kitchen Tales has spread its wings throughout the length and breadth of the bustling metropolitan city of Mumbai, with orders coming all the way from Colaba, the southern most tip of the city. Her packing which is in three layers to avoid damage and spillage, is immaculate. Somma’s culinary dedication has been featured in Mumbai Mirror and Times of India, among others. To simply bracket her into a home-chef would mean to overlook the larger canvas upon which she works. Her classes, culinary diners, her writing, her curated menus make her into a culinary artist who uses her ladle to not just satisfy the tastebuds but connect her to her culinary heritage, all the way to Bangladesh, (her ancestral roots) a slice of which she brings to her patrons through Kitchen Tales. A culinary experience that transcends cartographic boundaries, enriching the cultural tapestry of foodscapes in the city.