Growing up, my dad owned a restaurant in Washington, DC, and food was something I was passionate about. But when I finally got into it, I felt like it was so late in the game; that's why I worked seven days a week at Craft and Mercer Kitchen. I wanted to see how far I could take it.

Just because something's been good in the past doesn't mean it will continue to be good.

In New York, we're always confined with spaces. Our restaurants are difficult to navigate as cooks and to operate. We fight against the buildings we run in New York.

If you're going to be a vegetarian, limit yourself to food from a place you can go to in two hours and just eat that.

I spend so much of my time working away, but I love being here. My family is in Somerset, and this is where my heart is.

I belong to a Punjabi Hindu family.

I'm not in the business of becoming famous. And that's the advice I give to younger aspiring actors. Work onstage and do the little roles. In the end it's not important to be seen. It's important to do. There's a lot of disappointment in this business, but my family keeps me grounded.

I started imagining this whole different world. It was a society of musicians, a family I hoped I could belong to one day.