• Sign up for Divya's cooking classes

    to benefit the Abdelwahed family

  • About the fundraiser

    I have been in contact with Akram for many months. He is a civil engineer in Gaza who has lost his livelihood due to the ongoing genocide. He is the sole provider for his 5 siblings and their mother, and they are dealing with a very high cost of living due to the escalating siege on aid. They need about €1,000 per month to cover basic needs (housing, food). I am running this cooking class to help raise some of these funds. Their fundraiser can be found here and has been vetted.

    About the class

    I'm Divya, a scientist and artist who has made a hobby out of cooking, sharing my recipes with friends and family for several years. I draw from an Indo-Caribbean tradition but enjoy creating new dishes, with an emphasis on developing layers of flavor and drawing from different culinary practices. My style is hearty, protein-filled, and big quantities (usually 4–6 servings). I take a very free approach to ingredients, so if you're intimidated by measurements, fear not: I don't believe in them.

    The class will focus on vegan, gluten-free dishes, teaching specific skills that these require. However, there will be plenty of options to sub in meat/dairy/gluten ingredients. In each class I will offer an introduction to important techniques, then demonstrate a dish and take questions from the students.

    How does it work?

    Signing up doesn't commit you to anything!

    • Classes will be 1 hour on Sundays over Zoom. Each class is €10 by donation. You can pick and choose whichever classes you want to attend; you don't need to have attended the previous ones.
    • Every Monday I will email out what the recipe is that week. I'll attach an ingredient list but you are not required to cook along with me; you can just watch and ask questions.
    • If you want to attend the class that week, you will have to reply to my Monday email with a screenshot of your donation of at least €10 to Akram's fundraiser. I will then send you the Zoom link.
    • If you attend the class, I'll send you the full recipe afterwards.

    You are encouraged to give more than €10 if you are able.

    Schedule

    • November 24, 11am EST / 4pm GMT
    • December 1, 11am EST / 4pm GMT
    • December 8, 11am EST / 4pm GMT
    • December 15, 11am EST / 4pm GMT
    • December 22 (tentative), 11am EST / 4pm GMT
    • More TBD

    The provisional recipes are rajma with onion pakoras; ratatouille; lemon "chicken" risotto; spicy broad bean soup; vegetable biryani (that is actually good, I promise!); and a holiday special.

    The cookbook

    I will be cooking recipes from "Cups and Litres," my (low-fi) cookbook of 20+ original recipes that happen to be gluten-free and vegan, spiral-bound, 8.5 x 11”. Expected release December 1, 2024.

    You are not required to have my cookbook, but if you would like a printed copy of it, please donate at least €30 to Akram's fundraiser and send the receipt to contact@divyampersaud.com with the subject "Cookbook order."

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