Ranjini Rao and Ruchira Ramanujam are best friends, whose brainchild, Tadka Pasta, isn’t just a food blog they started in 2011, when in the US. It is a repertoire of stories and recipes from their own kitchens – where they learnt to rise above burnt breads and picky-eating phases of their girls – and from the tastes and traditions they’ve picked up during their travels. With two books published in quick succession: Mango Masala – 60 Indian Recipes from Your Local Supermarket and Around the World with the Tadka Girls), they began to see food literature in a new light. Upon returning to India, they took their love for food, books and children forward through many avenues, right from conducting workshops for children in schools and summer camps – with a focus on the nutritional and cultural aspects of food – to designing healthy and fun recipes for children’s menus for clients. They won the FICCI FLO Bangalore Women of the Year Award for their work in the local food and culture scene.
