Hi! I’m Shweta, the recipe developer and photographer behind Masala and Chai (formerly Treat Yo’self NY) a food blog showcasing approachable Indian-ish recipes for home cooks. Along the way, I’ll teach you about techniques, ingredients, and the culture I’ve grown up with.

My exposure to food outside my little bubble started when I moved from Arizona to NYC in 2013. The first things I tried were a New York bagel and Sylvia’s up in Harlem. I actually didn’t even learn how to cook until the summer after my freshman year at NYU and I was t e r r i b l e. Seriously. Ask me for a picture of the first pancakes I ever made or the boxed cake where I proudly used Reddi-wip and raspberries between the sheets (what??). This is also around the time I began using my first DSLR!

I graduated and started traveling full time as a cloud consultant, which meant every. single. meal. between Monday – Thursday was eaten at a hotel or restaurant. This was no different from Friday – Sunday when I caught up with local friends and avoided buying groceries. Eventually I started @treatyoselfny – a homage to Tom Haverford and Donna on Parks and Rec – as a way to post all my food and travel photos. At some point, my content evolved into sharing recipes influenced by my childhood as a first-generation Into-American immigrant.

I genuinely hope to encapsulate Indian cuisine and show you how easy it is to cook it at home with the right tools and spices! I’m here to teach you how to add masalas to your food to create vibrant, flavorful recipes at home.

Feel free to contact me if you have any recipe/post suggestions, questions, want to work with me, or share the ways you implement self care into your life!

xo, Shweta