Roni Mazumdar is a culinary trailblazer. The mastermind behind popular NYC restaurant, Masalawala & Sons, Roni is ready to disrupt your idea of what Indian food really looks like. Largely impacted by colonialism, the richness and diversity of Indian food has never been accurately represented in the West. Roni is changing that. Together with Chef Chintan Pandya, Roni co-founded Unapologetic Foods, a visionary restaurant group in NYC that boldly offers unapologetic Indian cuisine. The duo present authentic Indian dishes from lesser-known regions, shedding light on unexplored Indian culinary traditions. While making waves in the NYC food scene, Roni Mazumdar never forgets his roots. His first restaurant, Masalawala & Sons in NYC is an ode to his father, Satyen Mazumdar, and the cherished dishes of his childhood.
Director
Keshia Hannam
Producers
Stephanie Tangkilisan
Editor
Ruolin Luyo
Director of Photography
Alison Boya Sun
Prakhar Deep Jain
Translation
Masuma Khan
Editor-in-Chief
Keshia Hannam
Head of Production
Stephanie Tangkilisan
Producer
Joy Jihyun Jeong
Post Production Coordinator
Skolastika Lupitawina
Assistant Editor
Rendy Abi
Color
Nadya Shabrina
Sound
Ezound Studios
Original Theme Song & Music by
Fabian Mansur
Additional Music by
Captain Qubz – Close to Me - Instrumental Version
Suraj Nepal – Rhythm of Soul ft. Rohit Manandhar
Suraj Nepal – Mood
Additional Archival Material
Esquire
Food & Wine Magazine
Forbes
Getty Images
James Beard Awards
National Geographic Traveller India
The Juggernaut
The New York Times
Special Thanks
Roni Mazumdar
Chintan Pandya
Satyen Mazumdar
Director
Keshia Hannam
Producers
Stephanie Tangkilisan
Editor
Ruolin Luyo
Director of Photography
Alison Boya Sun
Prakhar Deep Jain
Translation
Masuma Khan
Editor-in-Chief
Keshia Hannam
Head of Production
Stephanie Tangkilisan
Producer
Joy Jihyun Jeong
Post Production Coordinator
Skolastika Lupitawina
Assistant Editor
Rendy Abi
Color
Nadya Shabrina
Sound
Ezound Studios
Original Theme Song & Music by
Fabian Mansur
Additional Music by
Captain Qubz – Close to Me - Instrumental Version
Suraj Nepal – Rhythm of Soul ft. Rohit Manandhar
Suraj Nepal – Mood
Additional Archival Material
Esquire
Food & Wine Magazine
Forbes
Getty Images
James Beard Awards
National Geographic Traveller India
The Juggernaut
The New York Times
Special Thanks
Roni Mazumdar
Chintan Pandya
Satyen Mazumdar
Category
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NewsTranscript
00:00 The expression that you're seeing through food right now,
00:03 it took many years to build up to that.
00:05 There are inherent problems of a perception
00:08 that exists with our cuisine
00:09 that I think we needed to shake and break through.
00:12 So when I first started,
00:20 it was actually at the restaurant called
00:22 the Masala Wala in 2011.
00:23 It was my father and I.
00:24 - Why?
00:25 - And the reason I was doing that
00:27 was because my dad was retiring
00:28 and I thought it would be fun
00:29 for him to not be feeling old.
00:31 I could tell, looking at him,
00:33 that he had absolutely no idea
00:34 what he was going to do next.
00:36 And as a son, I felt, "What can I do?"
00:39 I said, "I think we should open up a little restaurant."
00:41 He said, "It's the stupidest idea I've ever heard."
00:44 - Finally, he convinced me.
00:46 I said, "Okay, I'll go there."
00:47 And when I started, I was so excited.
00:50 (upbeat music)