Jyoti Mukharji & Auyon Mukharji, Heartland Masala with Rainy Day Books

This event includes a conversation with authors Jyoti Mukharji, Auyon Mukharji, and Jill Silva, along with an opportunity to get your book signed and personalized.

Heartland Masala pairs 99 recipes from Indian cooking instructor Jyoti Mukharji with cultural and historical essays by her son Auyon Mukharji.

An effervescent celebration of Indian cuisine and the American immigrant experience, this beautiful cookbook is playful, informative, and utterly original.Filled with rich storytelling, stunning visuals, and a blend of modern and traditional dishes, this book is both a heartfelt portrait of one Midwestern family and a practical guide to cooking incredible Indian meals at home.

Here’s what makes Heartland Masala special:

• Delicious, Accessible Recipes — 99 carefully tested dishes bring Indian flavors into your kitchen, with ingredients and methods tailored for American home cooks.

• Cultural Essays & Family Stories — Fresh, insightful, and often humorous essays explore the immigrant cooking philosophy, the Mukharjis’ mother-son dynamic, and the many quirks of Indian culinary history.

• Illustrations & Stunning Photography — A 32-page full-color photo insert plus original art make this a gorgeous centerpiece for your kitchen or coffee table.

• Step-by-Step Guidance — Jyoti and Auyon include illustrations that demystify complex techniques, along with spice shopping tips to build confidence and skill.

A feast for culturally curious readers and adventurous cooks alike, Heartland Masala is unlike any Indian cookbook you’ve seen before.

Jyoti Mukharji is a chef, teacher, and retired physician. She immigrated to the US from India in the late 1970s, and she began teaching weekly Indian cooking classes out of her home in Prairie Village, KS in 2010. Jyoti has since welcomed several thousand students into her kitchen, and her writing and teaching have been celebrated in press and radio outlets across the Midwest. Jyoti's team includes her husband Jhulan (art director), her eldest son Arnob (grocery shopping deputy), her middle son Auyon (musical guest), and her youngest son Aroop (copy editor).

Auyon Mukharji is a musician, writer, and culinary historian who spends most of his time thinking about food. He studied biology at Williams College and was awarded a Watson Fellowship in 2007 to study self-expression in folk music. Since 2009, Auyon has toured with, and cooked for, the acclaimed indie-folk band Darlingside. He otherwise finds time to work in and around kitchens (and farms) in both his hometown of Kansas City and his adopted state-of residence of Massachusetts.

Jill Silva is an award-winning food journalist, editor, and restaurant critic with a distinguished career spanning over three decades. A graduate of Colorado State University, she served as The Kansas City Star’s food editor for more than 20 years, earning national recognition for her work.

Jill received a James Beard Award—the industry’s equivalent of an Oscar—for Best Newspaper Section, wrote the Eating for Life Cookbook (2008), and her work has been featured in Best Food Writing and Black Smoke . She is a past president of the Association of Food Journalists and served as co-membership chair of Les Dames d’Escoffier's KC Chapter. She is a storyteller for Harvesters, Kansas City’s community food bank. Her work has been featured in numerous publications, and she has also shared her expertise as a speaker for MENSA, the Missouri Folklore Society, and Food Biz Con.

Also check out other Arts events in Roeland Park, Food & Drink events in Roeland Park, Literary Art events in Roeland Park.