Nita Mehta | |
|---|---|
| Occupation | Entrepreneur, cooking instructor |
| Years active | 1980s - present |
| Website | nitamehta.com |
Nita Mehta is an Indian entrepreneur. She is a cooking instructor, writer and publisher, restaurateur, recipe developer, and chef.
Career[edit | edit source]
Mehta began giving cooking lessons from her home kitchen in the 1980s, starting with classes in making ice cream.[1][2] Nirula's 21, an ice cream parlor offering 21 flavours, had recently become popular, and Mehta believed women would want to learn to make ice cream at home.[1][2] She recreated Nirula's flavours and developed home recipes she could teach.[2] She expanded class offerings in response to student requests, eventually developing teaching recipes for Chinese, Mughlai and European dishes.[2]
Mehta wrote her first cookbook, Vegetarian Wonders, in 1992, but couldn't find a publisher, so she self-published it.[1] It had limited success, and she switched to a single-topic booklet format, which was more successful; since then she has published on multiple subjects,[3] including 101 Recipes for Children[4] and The Best of Chicken and Paneer.[5] She formed a publishing house in 1994, SNAB publishers.[1] By 2001 she opened a culinary academy with a professional kitchen.[1][6][7][2]
In 2010, Mehta and Hamdard Laboratories created mocktail and dessert recipes for Rooh Afza which were used in a new marketing campaign.[8] Also in 2010, a school in Panchsheel Colony, New Delhi consulted Mehta who provided a menu which was handed over to parents as a guide to food which should be packed for students going to the school.[9] academy.[6][7]
In 2012 she opened restaurant Kelong at Sarabha Nagar in Ludhiana.[10]
Appearances[edit | edit source]
Panasonic organised an event in Coimbatore in 2004 where Mehta was invited to share recipes for microwave cooking.[11]
In 2007, Kurkure, a brand of ready-to-eat snacks owned by PepsiCo, ran a recipe contest which Mehta judged.[12] Later in 2011, she appeared on the television cooking contest MasterChef India as a judge.[13] In 2025 she judged Dainik Bhaskar's Super Chef 2025 contest.[14]
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Danish Khan, Sophia (9 February 2018). "How a Housewife Built a Multi-crore Business Starting with Zero-Investment". The Weekend Leader. Retrieved 12 February 2026.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 Barua, Ananya. "How a Delhi Homemaker Built a Culinary Empire That's Worth Crores Now!". The Better India. Retrieved 12 February 2026.
- ↑ "Morsels of pleasure". The Hindu. 18 September 2010. Retrieved 7 August 2012.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link) - ↑ "Morsels of pleasure". The Hindu. 15 September 2010. Retrieved 13 August 2012.
- ↑ "Chicken and paneer". The Hindu. 10 February 2002. Archived from the original on 28 April 2002. Retrieved 13 August 2012.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 "Baking love – with truffles and tiramisu!". Times of India. 19 December 2011. Retrieved 13 August 2012.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 "Of skills and skillets". The Telegraph. 12 August 2006. Archived from the original on 20 August 2014. Retrieved 13 August 2012.
- ↑ "Hamdard gives century-old Rooh Afza a facelift". Hindustan Times. 28 June 2010. Retrieved 13 August 2012.
- ↑ Kaira, Vandana (17 February 2010). "Course Meal". Indian Express. Retrieved 13 August 2012.
- ↑ "Nita Mehta's multi-cuisine restaurant Kelong is going to open in Sarabha Nagar Ludhiana". Ludhianadistrict.com. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 7 August 2012.
- ↑ "Tikkas, truffle and tips". The Hindu. 1 June 2006. Archived from the original on 2 May 2012. Retrieved 13 August 2012.
- ↑ "Become celebrities overnight!". The Hindu. 4 August 2007. Archived from the original on 23 November 2007. Retrieved 13 August 2012.
- ↑ "Chef Saby and Nita Mehta on MasterChef". Deccan Chronicle. 26 November 2011. Archived from the original on 26 November 2011. Retrieved 13 August 2012.
- ↑ "From Home to Fame: Dainik Bhaskar's Super Chef 2025 Celebrates Culinary Talent". Media News 4 U. 13 June 2025. Retrieved 12 February 2026.