Meet the Chef     Priya Mahadevan

Mom. Chef. Writer. Entrepreneur. These are just some of the titles you could give Priya Mahadevan.

Priya, a mother of three, lives in Earlysville, Virginia, and has recently started up her own business and has written her own children’s book. Priya moved from India to the West after getting married, and got her Masters degree in Journalism and Communication from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She taught bharatanatyam (traditional Indian dance) for seven years before moving to Virginia, where she has been living for nearly thirteen years.

Priya joined the Charlottesville City Market in 2013 after years of wanting to do so, and named her stall “Desi Dosa” (Desi is slang for Indian) https://www.facebook.com/groups/theyseethoseah/. She sells all different kinds of South Indian food, with the staple being Masala Dosas, which are rice and lentil crepes with a potato filling and lentil-tomato stew on the side. In 2014, Priya decided to spread her wings and venture into trademarked business; she created her own company, “Suvaiyana” to sell Indian spices and chutneys to a wider clientele. All of her foods are made at her fully certified home kitchen with authentic ingredients from India, and often, organic produce from her garden. Priya has her own food blog (Priya’s Now Serving) and catering business as well, which can be seen at www.priyasnowserving.com. Her Facebook Page is https://www.facebook.com/PriyasVegetarianGastronomy She also holds cooking classes on a regular basis where she teaches a number of quick and easy recipes and how to use spices.

Priya was a political journalist before she started cooking professionally, and her gift for writing is one she has kept up over the years. Her youngest daughter is now six years old, but when she was in the toddler ages, Priya was inspired to write children’s novels highlighting the funny experiences of childhood and the blending of Indian and Western cultures. She is currently working on publishing her first illustrated children’s novel, Princesses Only Wear Putta Puttas, a wonderful story about what it is like for a child to be exposed to two cultures. It is a vibrant, fun story that all ages can enjoy, and you can purchase a copy or help support Priya through her Kickstarter fund at: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/24665272/princesses-only-wear-putta-puttas