Atlanta, GA
Asha Gomez is the author of the cookbook “My Two Souths” with Running Press (Perseus Books) which launched in 2016. My Two Souths has received rave reviews from the Washington Post, Garden and Gun, and The New York Times to name a few. My Two Souths was nominated as a finalist for a James Beard Award in the American Cooking category and won the prestigious Piglet Award for best cookbook. In addition, the cookbook was a finalist in Gourmand’s World Cookbook Awards. In 2017, Asha was featured in a profile piece in the New York Times named “A chef’s quest in India” chronicling an incredible trip to Kerala, India. She is most passionate about her advocacy and policy work in reducing global food insecurity as a global chef ambassador for CARE and her work with the United Nations, and the James Beard Foundation. Throughout her career, Asha has used food as a platform to connect people across countries and cultures and has seen firsthand how food and nutrition can enhance the lives of those facing poverty. Her engaging demeanor and remarkable ability to translate wonkish research into compelling personal narratives makes her a highly sought after speaker nationally and internationally as a panelist, presenter, and moderator- including most recently with the United Nations’ Global Nutrition Summit- the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
Most recently, she is featured in Chef David Chang’s web series “Ugly Delicious” currently streaming on Netflix.
Asha Gomez launched Cardamom Hill Restaurant in January 2012 in Atlanta. Cardamom Hill was named one of Bon Appetit’s 2012’s 50 Best New Restaurants, was on the 2013 James Beard Semi-Finalist List of 20 Best New Restaurants, one of Southern Living’s 5 Best Restaurants in the South. Asha was also named one of the 2013/2014 Food & Wine Magazine Best New Chef – People’s Choice semi-finalists. The acclaim universally acknowledged Asha’s pioneering spirit for opening a finer dining venture that focuses on one region of India, a rarity in the U.S.
She has also been showcased in feature stories in the Wall Street Journal, Conde-Nast Traveler, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, and numerous other national publications. and her recipes have appeared in issues of Food & Wine, Bon Appetite, Country Living, Southern Living, Garden & Gun, and numerous other publications.
She founded and runs The Third Space a culinary studio and multi-functional event space in Atlanta, GA, where she regularly hosts intimate dinners for guests and focuses on corporate team building through food experiences and is working on here second cookbook featuring global cuisine.
Here favorite endeavor is raising her 13 year-old son Ethan to be a world changer.
Recipe
puffy ginger hoecakes
THE SPIRITED ZING OF FRESH GINGER ENLIVENS MY PUFFED VERSION of country-style fried cornmeal cakes, which southerners call hoecakes. Although I grew up eating uttappam, a rice pancake seasoned with shallots, ginger, and chiles, I had never encountered homemade cornmeal hoecakes until I was having brunch at a friend’s home here in Georgia. Her crispy hoecakes reminded me of not only of Indian uttappam but also of Venezuelan arepas. Like many of the tra- ditional dishes here in America’s southern states, my friend’s hoecakes evoked memories of my other South in India. So, the next morning, I couldn’t wait to replicate them with some of the same ingredients used in an Indian uttappam. The resulting puffy ginger cakes have become a favorite breakfast and brunch menu item both at work and at home. I like to serve these crispy cornmeal cakes in the morning with Spicy Syrup.
- 1 cup self-rising flour
- 1 cup yellow self-rising cornmeal
- 2 large eggs
- 11/4 cups buttermilk
- 2 teaspoons white granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons peeled, finely chopped fresh ginger
- 2 green onions, white and green parts, thinly sliced
- 2 cups canola oil
- MAKES SIX 2-INCH CAKES
In a large bowl, combine all ingredients except for the oil, stirring thoroughly and making sure to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl to mix uniformly.
Heat the canola oil in a medium-sized skillet over medium heat. Drop the batter, about 2 tablespoons at a time, into the hot oil. Fry each hoe- cake until golden brown, about 2 to 3 minutes per side, flipping once with a spatula. Using a slotted spoon, remove each hoecake and drain in a single layer on a paper-towel-lined plate. Serve warm.
Notes: Self-rising flour and corn meal already include salt and baking powder. To make 1 cup of your own self-rising cornmeal, mix 3/4 cup plus 3 tablespoons of cornmeal with 1 tablespoon baking powder and 1⁄2 teaspoon salt. To make 1 cup of self-rising flour, mix 3/4 cup plus 3 tablespoons all- purpose flour with 11/2 teaspoons of baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon of salt.
To keep the cakes warm and crisp, keep them under an upside-down colander until ready to serve. The hoecakes cakes will stay warm and crispy because the steam escapes through the holes!