We were lucky to catch up with Roshni Dutt recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Roshni, thanks for joining us today. So, naming is such a challenge. How did you come up with the name of your brand?

I grew up in Kolkata, India in a multigenerational household with my grandparents and cousins. Kolkata is one of the best food cities in India and food was at the center of everything in our household.

My grandmother was an incredible cook and she loved getting the family together over the delicious dishes she made. Dinner time was sacred and all family members needed to be present before we started eating. Conversations revolved around food ranging from what we were eating for dinner tomorrow to what restaurant our next family outing would be at.

That’s really where my love for food began. The happiest memories I have are at a dinner table surrounded by the people I love.

When I immigrated to the US in 2015, one of the biggest realizations I had was that I had taken all the food of my childhood home for granted. Although I moved to San Francisco, a city with a vibrant food culture, there was a longing that I couldn’t satisfy.

Our family home is called Dutt House and there’s even a sign. I wanted to commemorate the memories and the flavors I grew up eating. That’s why I named my company Dutt House.

That’s when this name came to me and every offering I present is an extension of my culture, those memories, and flavors.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

My fascination with food began at an early age. I knew food had a special place in my life, but I didn’t know how crucial it was going to be in embracing my identity until I left India for San Francisco.

No matter how many incredible restaurants I dined at, I missed the daily, weekly, and yearly rituals centered around food. I called my grandmother to learn how she cooked all of my favorite dishes so I could recreate them at home for myself and my husband, Ross.

I was able to create a feeling of home away from home and reconnect with parts of my identity that now felt very distant. It helped me appreciate the traditions and culinary heritage that shaped me.

Since starting my channel on YouTube last year, I have been able to connect with Indians across the US and the western world that experience the same feelings of longing for the familiar flavors and food traditions they grew up with. That’s why I created my culinary coaching program.

I want to share the same joy and belonging that I experienced when I started recreating the flavors I longed for, at home. My goal is to help fellow Indians in the US recreate the flavors and memories of their childhood at home by teaching them how to cook traditional Indian dishes and pass it on to future generations. My program is not just about cooking, but reclaiming our identity and embracing our culture through food. Here’s what one of my students said about the transformation she experienced:

“It was more than just a cooking class; it was a journey of rediscovery, connecting me with flavors and traditions that shaped me.”

My mission is to help Indians in the US deepen their bond with their roots and share glimpses of the 5000 years of culinary heritage of India where Indian food is not just Chicken Tikka Masala, but an intricate web of stories, traditions, and flavors that make the dining table a celebration of love, family, and conversations.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

I started my pop-up dinner series in San Francisco out of the longing for the flavors I grew up with.

I had no experience in a professional kitchen whatsoever. I had never cooked for more than four people and I was fearful that if I shared something I cared about so much and people didn’t like it, I’d be a failure.

Despite my insecurities and fears, I didn’t give up. I called up dozens of event venues and begged them to take a chance on me.

One venue agreed and I launched my pop-up dinner series in September of 2018. I worked full-time in tech during the week and on my food dream during the weekends.

It wasn’t an easy road from there. For the first six months, I had to request my friends and colleagues to buy tickets to my events. It was terrifying because I’m bad at asking for help and even though my community was more than happy to support me, it was a huge mental obstacle I had to get over.

Tock had just started offering an event booking feature and I was one of the first pop-ups to sign up. That really changed the game for me. The platform was a great match and I remember the feeling I had when my pop-up dinner sold out in under an hour.

Although I had no idea what I was doing at the time and I was constantly scared that a food inspector might shut me down, the feeling I experienced seeing diners have a great time gathered at a table over something I created, was unparalleled.

My pop-ups were almost always sold out and people enjoyed my take on regional Indian cooking in a fine dining setting. I had so much momentum, but 2020 had other plans for me. I was devastated and it took me months to regain my drive and courage.

My mission is to share the flavors and traditions from my culture and although I couldn’t host events, I could create a product that would help them recreate those flavors in their homes. That’s when I launched Dutt House Ghee and sold hundreds of jars before starting my YouTube channel and coaching program to further the same mission.

It was hard, but I looked at each obstacle as an opportunity to reinvent my offering to further my mission of serving others through food.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

I always wanted to be a cook, but in India, that wasn’t viable career option at the time. I studied Botany in college in the hopes of studying environmental policy, but by the final year, I knew that I didn’t want to be in school for the next ten years. Google came to campus for recruitment and I showed up with the rest of the 200 other applicants to try my luck. Little did I know that I would be one of the six people to be recruited.

I worked in Google India for four years before I got an opportunity in Mountain View and moved to the US to pursue my tech career in 2015. The desire I had to follow my passion for food intensified now that I was away from the flavors of my childhood.

The longing to share my culture was stronger than the fear I had and it enabled me to start my food journey. I worked incessantly to grow my food business, but my biggest pivot was yet to come.

After six years working part-time on my vision, I made the biggest pivot of my life. I was well on my way to my next promotion and I had built credibility in the thirteen years of working in the tech industry.

However, all of that seemed hollow and meaningless because I wasn’t aligned with my purpose of bringing the joy of cooking and eating to others. I left my secure, well-paying career in tech to pursue my food dreams. Several friends and family members were skeptical of my big leap.

I left Google in May 2024 and I’m still very early on my entrepreneurship journey, but it’s the best decision I’ve ever made. There is a lot of uncertainty and I often doubt myself, but I know that my mission will help others reconnect with their roots and that’s more rewarding than certainty and promotions.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.dutthouse.com/consciouscooking
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dutthouse
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/dutthouse/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@dutthouse

Image Credits

Ross McIntire