Name: Book Talk: Heartland Masala
Start: 2025-09-08T17:00:00-04:00
Location: 1040 MASS MoCA Way, North Adams, MA, United States, Massachusetts 01247

Join us in the Research & Development Store for a heartfelt celebration of Indian cuisine and the American immigrant experience. Join Heartland Masala chef and teacher Jyoti Mukharji, author Auyon Mukharji, and Tu Le of 328North for a playful and informative talk as they discuss this beautiful cookbook.
Auyon and Jyoti Mukharji are the Midwestern mother-son duo at the helm of this artfully photographed collection of favorite recipes, enriched with droll culinary history and illustrated vignettes. Inside you’ll find restaurant staples like Saag Paneer, regional specialties like Murgh Rezala (chicken curry with water lily seeds and cashews), and creative originals like Masala Brussels Sprouts.
A feast for culturally curious readers and adventurous cooks alike, this event will be followed by a ticketed dinner at STATE Food & Drink (508 State Rd, North Adams). Reservations are available here.
About the Speakers:
Auyon Mukharji is a musician, writer, and culinary historian who spends most of his time thinking about food. He studied biology at Williams College and was awarded a Watson Fellowship in 2007 to study self-expression in folk music. Since 2009, Auyon has toured with, and cooked for, the acclaimed indie-folk band Darlingside. He otherwise finds time to work in and around kitchens (and farms) in both his hometown of Kansas City and his adopted state-of-residence of Massachusetts.
Jyoti Mukharji is a chef, teacher, and retired physician. She immigrated to the US from India in the late 1970s, and she began teaching weekly Indian cooking classes out of her home in Prairie Village, KS in 2010. Jyoti has since welcomed several thousand students into her kitchen, and her writing and teaching have been celebrated in press and radio outlets across the Midwest.
Tu Le is a queer Vietnamese-American farmer, designer, artist, chef, and storyteller who runs 328North, a multidisciplinary business — with a farm in Williamstown. 328North also encompasses STATE Food + Drink at Greylock Works, The Vietnamese Cafe at 90Main, and the Kitchen at the Adams Theater.