A successful restaurateur and frozen food entrepreneur in New Zealand for more than 20 years, Kalbindar Basi’s indigenous Punjab heritage helped shape her passion and skill for preparing authentic Indian food. Originally a student of textiles, Kali spent several years in India where her exposure to and love of Indian cuisine from various regions was expanded.
Following her return to New Zealand, and together with her family, Kali launched a successful restaurant, Aashiayana. For two decades, Aashiayana was the epitome of fine Indian cuisine in New Zealand, reaching international fame and frequented by visiting celebrities such as David Bowie, Freddy Mercury, Annie Lennox, Billy Connelly, and many others.
When I was growing up, meal times were family times. Time to share the day’s events while enjoying our mother’s love, made manifest in the food she prepared for us.
As an adult, I’ve realized that both sharing and receiving hand-made food imbued with loving energy is one of the greatest blessings of life.
Nutritious food nurtures and sustains us. Savory and aromatic food delights us while stimulating our sensory perceptions and imaginations.
Sharing it with others inspires lively conversation, enriches camaraderie and imparts a genuine sense of well-being.
It’s no wonder that a table laden with fresh and savory food has long been a symbol of good fortune and abundance across all cultures.
Cooking and preparing food for others is an act of giving…indeed an act of love. With the demanding pace of modern life, hand-made and home-served fine food has become a rare luxury for many.
My goal is to make it easy for you to share the pleasure of a fine, savory meal with your loved ones. I learned long ago, the key is to start with a great sauce! My sauces offer a convenient and fool-proof way to enjoy delicious Indian food. These sauces are the same I learned to prepare with painstaking care to create the meals I enjoyed growing up and still enjoy today.
I hope you enjoy them, too.
Subsequently, Kali and her family developed a gourmet frozen food line under the Aashiayana brand. Achieving enormous popularity and enjoying continuous growth, the Aashiayana frozen food company was sold to Mainland Products Ltd, a leading commercial and frozen food provider in Australasia.
In 2000, Kali migrated to America and readily saw the growing, but largely unmet, market demand for authentic Indian food made from fine ingredients. With the launch of Kali’s Table and an initial suite of gourmet Indian cooking sauces, Kali continues to follow her passion. She shares her signature culinary finesse by making authentic Indian cuisine fast and easy for home cooks everywhere.
Ever creative, Kali is also a knitwear designer and maintains a thriving business of unique creations. To view her creations, visit www.KaliBasi.com.