PREETI MISTRY’S ARM TATTOO — dharyra in Devanagari script — signifies patience in Hindi and epitomizes what a chef like Mistry needs to have, both in the kitchen and in life. A two-time James Beard Foundation nominee for “Best Chef of the West,” Mistry grew up in the United States and considers Indian flavors their roots, as much as childhood burgers and pizza.
In Plate, they wrote, “My food is not a reach to grasp … from halfway across the world. … It’s just like me: too Indian to be considered American, too American to be considered Indian. We are the generation in between.”
They’re known for creating dishes that highlight their roots. Both of Mistry’s Oakland restaurants boasted very Mumbai-dishes, including a mason jar of puffed rice with a cilantro mint chutney, with a, a street food found at every roadside corner and train stop. Paying homage to their Gujarati/Indian roots as well as to their Midwest American upbringing, Mistry’s menu included flaky — pav, or buns, a Portuguese term for rolls in India, a post-colonization street food — pork vindaloo sliders, Manchurian cauliflower, an homage to fusion Indian food, created in 1975 by third-generation Chinese immigrant Nelson Wang at the Cricket Club of India in Mumbai. Not to mention tikka masala mac and cheese; the name says it all.
