Uploaded March 2026 | Updated September 2026, 3 days ago
Food, like language, migrates—carrying memory, adapting to place, and writing new identities along the way. Celebrated chefs Maneet Chauhan and Meherwan Irani join Cheetie Kumar in a conversation on the evolving grammar of taste. Together, they reflect on the diasporic kitchen, the inheritance of spice, and the art of layering narrative, nostalgia, and invention onto every plate.
Cheetie Kumar is the chef/owner of Ajja, a restaurant in Raleigh’s Five Points neighborhood that draws inspiration from the diverse foodways and cultures, vibrant spices, and cooking techniques of the Mediterranean, the Middle East and beyond. Ajja opened in June 2023 and is a James Beard Foundation Award semifinalist for Best New Restaurant. Ajja was also named an Esquire Best New Restaurant and Eater’s Best New Carolina's Restaurant. Kumar has been profiled in The New York Times, Southern Living and The Wall Street Journal, among many other national publications. She is active in food advocacy and serves on the board of the Independent Restaurant Coalition, the Southern Foodways Alliance and several North Carolina-based organizations. She is also a member of World Central Kitchen’s Chef Corps, a global network of culinary leaders who champion World Central Kitchen’s work providing fresh meals following crises.
Maneet Chauhan is a James Beard Award-winning chef, author, and Food Network personality. Chauhan is the author of two critically-acclaimed cookbooks, Flavors of My World and Chaat: The Best Recipes from the Kitchens, Markets, and Railways of India, which received the IACP Cookbook Award in 2021.
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Food, like language, migrates—carrying memory, adapting to place, and writing new identities along the way. Celebrated chefs Maneet Chauhan and Meherwan Irani join Cheetie Kumar in a conversation on the evolving grammar of taste. Together, they reflect on the diasporic kitchen, the inheritance of spice, and the art of layering narrative, nostalgia, and invention onto every plate.
Cheetie Kumar is the chef/owner of Ajja, a restaurant in Raleigh’s Five Points neighborhood that draws inspiration from the diverse foodways and cultures, vibrant spices, and cooking techniques of the Mediterranean, the Middle East and beyond. Ajja opened in June 2023 and is a James Beard Foundation Award semifinalist for Best New Restaurant. Ajja was also named an Esquire Best New Restaurant and Eater’s Best New Carolina's Restaurant. Kumar has been profiled in The New York Times, Southern Living and The Wall Street Journal, among many other national publications. She is active in food advocacy and serves on the board of the Independent Restaurant Coalition, the Southern Foodways Alliance and several North Carolina-based organizations. She is also a member of World Central Kitchen’s Chef Corps, a global network of culinary leaders who champion World Central Kitchen’s work providing fresh meals following crises.
Maneet Chauhan is a James Beard Award-winning chef, author, and Food Network personality. Chauhan is the author of two critically-acclaimed cookbooks, Flavors of My World and Chaat: The Best Recipes from the Kitchens, Markets, and Railways of India, which received the IACP Cookbook Award in 2021.
Follow us on –
Website - jlflitfest.org
Facebook - facebook.com/JLFInternational
YouTube - youtube.com/@JLFInternational
Instagram - instagram.com/jlfinternational
Twitter - twitter.com/JLFLitfest
#literature #language #food
