Hi, I’m Shivani. Welcome to The Spice Voyage.

Born in Hyderabad, India and raised in New Jersey pretty much all my life, I’ve been able to meet people from various cultures, and with that, have been exposed to some incredible food. You see, food isn’t just food for me—it’s a cultural exchange, a conversation starter, a creative outlet. What might just look like some ingredients cooked down and thrown onto plate can tell you so much about the people who invented it, the history and the climate of where the dish came from, and of course, how much love and care went into producing it.

Back in high school, I was part of a diverse friend group where we decided to showcase a part of our culture to each other, and of course, what better way to do so than with food? With this exchange, I was able to try Korean barbeque and patbingsoo as well as Cuban coffee and pollo cubano con mojo and introduced my friends to my mother’s best onion pakora and Hyderabadi chicken korma. This is the sort of thing I hope we can do in our community here at The Spice Voyage. This is a place where I hope to document my food adventures on my travels and explore unseen places via my kitchen, inspiring you to do the same.

My goal is to share my knowledge on what makes each cuisine so special—from the traditions that surround a certain dish, the techniques used to create it, and my favorite, the spices that marry all the ingredients and flavors together. You can expect to see a combination of traditional recipes from around the world as well as a few of my own creations based on flavors and techniques I’ve learned from different cultures.

So if you’re ready, let’s embark on The Spice Voyage and get cooking!