Such is the allure of food that it compels people to grand gestures. Nik Sharma, for example, quit a successful pharmaceutical career to pursue his love for the culinary arts. He found a post as a pastry cook in training at a bakery in San Francisco, where he lives, and started a blog with food and photography at its heart. Great move, Sharma. In its short life, A Brown Table has already picked up several major nominations and awards, including International Association of Culinary Professionals’ Best Food Photo Based Culinary Blog 2015. While his seriously cool images are characterised by black backdrops, textured hands and ingredients flying throughout the air (read: slick and moody), Sharma’s food draws from his Indian childhood and American life, and is bright, colourful and playful. Think a classic South Indian rasam soup made over with green goddess flavours, or a carrot cake reimagined with masala chai. These dishes are also some of Sharma’s spring faves, along with a thirst-quenching Bombay lemonade and spicy green pea socca, and highlight this important newcomer’s unique perspective. For more Sharma stylings and mash-up inspo, find him on social media at @abrowntable.
“Though every season of the year has something special to offer when it comes to food, spring is perhaps one of my favourites. It’s the season where everything starts to awaken, from the little seedlings that start to pop out from underneath a blanket of rich soil to the flowers that begin to abundantly coat the branches of trees. Though this might sound clichéd, spring gives me hope and inspiration to create fresh and bold flavored dishes, and get more experimental in the kitchen. I’m pretty partial to desserts since I have a sweet tooth and the fresh fruit that start to show up at the local farmers’ markets in spring are definitely fodder for my imagination when it comes to cooking with them.”
I started my blog to… Chronicle my experiences in cooking, but from an immigrant’s perspective. Though the recipes on my blog draw inspiration from my Indian heritage and culture, it is also strongly representative of the food I have fallen in love with in the West. I wanted to write more about non-traditional dishes that were unique yet still connected deeply in origin to my roots.
I can’t wait to go back to… The Slanted Door in San Francisco to eat their crispy imperial rolls.
My current food obsession is… Using wholemeal pastry.
Eating… Fried oyster po’ boys takes me back to the many wonderful moments I’ve spent in New Orleans.
Nugget of cooking wisdom… Patience. It’s a useful virtue to have in a kitchen.
I learnt to cook from… My family, cookbooks and TV shows.
When I go back to my home town… Mumbai, the first thing I... drink is falooda [Indian cold beverage].
My cooking style is… A mix of traditional Indian food techniques and flavours applied to Western cooking.
The one thing I can’t cook is… Kombucha from scratch. Mostly because I haven’t really tried to learn how, but I really want to.
If I ever met… Magnus Nilsson, I would ask him to teach me how to smoke and preserve vegetables. And, of course, I’d want to learn how to make his desserts, especially his milk sorbet with duck eggs and molasses.
I always have… A bunch of different types of wholegrain flours in my pantry, a container of plain yoghurt in my fridge and frozen blueberries in my freezer.
My favourite biscuit to dunk in a cup of tea is… Ginger snaps with thick chunks of ginger baked in.
My most sauce-splattered cookbook is The Professional Chef by the CIA and Cook’s Illustrated Cookbook.
The most difficult food to shoot/style and make look tasty is… Indian curries due to their deep brown colour and texture.
Beyond my own blog, some of my favourites reads are… 5 Second Rule, Cook Republic, Hummingbird High and Dash and Bella.
Top picks from A Brown Table
Source: Nik Sharma
Source: Nik Sharma
Source: Nik Sharma
Masala chai carrot cake Source: Nik Sharma
Blog Appétit is our curated list of go-to food blogs we love, with a focus on high-quality photography, trusted recipes, strong editorial themes and a unique voice and personality. View previous Blog Appétit entries.
