Chef Palak Patel’s family moved from India to Atlanta when she was 12 years old, but her memories of Indian street food and her mother’s vegetarian cooking stuck with her. And, after years of working for corporate startups, Patel decided at age 31 to switch careers, completing her training as a chef at the French Culinary Institute in New York.
She went on to a string of Food Network appearances, including winning “Chopped” and “Beat Bobby Flay,” and becoming a finalist on “Food Network Star.”
Recently, Patel moved back to Atlanta, and, in August, she opened her first restaurant, Dash & Chutney, at Chattahoochee Food Works. The plant-based menu fuses Indian street food with family recipes.
“I love those moments when I see people take their first bite, and that delight in their eyes is one of my favorite things,” Patel said during a recent phone call.
She also is featured in “Cook With Jacques & Friends: Volume 3,″ released by the Jacques Pépin Foundation. The video cookbook features recipes from about 50 chefs and bartenders from across the country, and supports free culinary training through community-based organizations, such as Open Door Community House in Columbus.
Credit: Handout
Credit: Handout
Patel contributed a recipe for chilled peach soup with dried fenugreek and mint, which she said is a perfect combination of India and Georgia.
But, more fitting to the season is Patel’s recipe for stuffed acorn squash.
“It’s a little bit of an elevated dish, to combat a couple of things I often hear from people who have reservations about eating plant-based,” she said. “Mimicking texture is one of the biggest challenges. The second issue is people not feeling full.”
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