Asma Khan Live At Jubilee NYC 2025

In this live episode of Radio Cherry Bombe recorded at Jubilee NYC 2025, host Carrie Diamond interviews Asma Khan, chef, author, and founder of Darjeeling Express in London, in a powerful and intimate conversation that traces her journey from a marginalized childhood in Kolkata to becoming a global culinary and cultural icon. Khan shares how she was made to feel unworthy due to her gender, skin tone, and class, yet found strength through her sister’s unwavering belief in her as the 'warrior princess.' Her transformation began when she learned to cook by immersing herself in her mother’s kitchen, leading to a secret supper club in her home—hidden from her husband—that became a sanctuary for immigrant women and a catalyst for her restaurant dream. Despite facing systemic bias, rejection from banks, and her husband’s skepticism, Khan persisted, raising funds through her husband’s sacrifice and opening an all-female, open kitchen restaurant that celebrates labor, identity, and joy. Her new cookbook, *Monsoon*, reflects her philosophy of seasonal, modular, and healing Indian cooking, emphasizing accessibility and flavor over complexity. The episode closes with a message of hope: that even in darkness, the dawn will come—inspired by the birds that signal its arrival.