About Me

Hi! I’m Rakhi Bhandari!

Cooking has been a family passion for generations with published cookbooks in our regional cuisine by both my grandmother and great grandmother. The running joke in our family for generations….that we plan lunch while eating breakfast and plan dinner while eating lunch.

I learnt to bake and cook from my grandmother at an early age but it was my mother who became my muse. I belong to a very large family and my parents loved to entertain their friends so the turnouts were pretty substantial. My mother had the ability to churn out dinners for large parties at a moment’s notice with grace and charm and the meals were always perfectly executed. It was only as an adult that I truly began to understand that cooking is not about combining ingredients in a pan; it involves a great deal of patience, technique and artistry.

It propelled me towards culinary school where I learnt classical French techniques and an understanding of kitchen dynamics. I graduated from Le Cordon Bleu college of Culinary Arts and interned with celebrity Chef Bobby Flay at the Mesa Grill, Las Vegas, where I discovered the subtle art of blending Mexican flavors into American fare. I went on to train in Thai cuisine at the Sheraton Bangkok and at the Condé Nast featured “Spice Route” restaurant at the Imperial Hotel, New Delhi.

Spice Girl on Tour began back in 2010, as a weekly blog about cooking different cuisines from around the world for eighty weeks. This experiment sparked some local interest and evolved over time to cooking classes and writing for food publications as well as Sunday edition newspapers here and abroad.

I consider myself fortunate as there is no greater joy than sharing my passion and creativity with others. Cooking does not have to be a chore. Once you master the basics, it can be fun and healthy. It is my job to simplify it, introduce a whole new palette of flavors to your repertoire and encourage you to gradually fall in love with it – just as I have.