Over the past few years, Kingston has seen a boom in new restaurants. There’s real ramen noodles, poke bowls, dumplings, Turkish takeaway, wood-fired pizza, donuts, and, of course, new American food. Asian restaurants and taco shops abound. But for many, including the blond, inexplicably Mumbai-born author and resident, the lack of an Indian restaurant — even a garden variety, chicken tikka, smorgasbord, and the like — is a big deal. But finally, finally, Indian food (and staple food) is finally on Broadway in downtown Kingston thanks to the recent opening of Calcutta Kitchen.
Aditi Goswami grew up on the outskirts of Calcutta in the late 70s and 80s and the family kitchen was a series of events from breakfast to midday dinner, from afternoon tea to big family dinners. Although her father was an avid gardener, the kitchen was mostly owned by her grandmother. “I don’t know life without cooking. If you don’t cook, you don’t eat,” Goswami said of India before the era of fast food before takeout, when fireplaces were still the heart of the home. “My grandma was a great cook. My dad didn’t cook every day, but he was a real gourmet. He bought all the ingredients and paid great attention to freshness, quality and seasonality. He and my grandma The one who really taught me how to look at food, how think about food.” And, of course, how to cook food.
Working diligently in the kitchen, Goswami took on tasks such as peeling peas from the age of four, and her skills and responsibilities continued to grow until she was 12 years old, when she was able to prepare a complete meal. Like her father, she developed a passion for gardening. “I am interested in growing and cooking food,” says Goswami, “what becomes what, how ingredients transform and how they are used differently in different dishes.”
After getting married at 25 and moving to the United States, Goswami was introduced to food delivery culture through an American workplace. However, she remains true to her home cooking tradition in rural Connecticut, preparing meals for her family and guests in a casual, traditional Indian style of hospitality.
“I’ve always liked to have fun because I love to feed people, not throw big parties and just invite people over for dinner,” she said. “Or even if they’re here to play with the kids, give them tea and something to eat.” The Goswami’s proposals are made from scratch. Friends and neighbors were overjoyed.
So, encouraged by her peers, Goswami began making and selling some of her chutneys at a local Connecticut farmers’ market in 2009. Within two weeks, she founded Calcutta Kitchens LLC, although she still says she has no intention of starting a business. Chutneys have given way to simmering sauces, a shortcut to making authentic Indian food with few ingredients. These are all adaptations of what she cooks at home, and the recipes are available without loss of flavor.
In the 13 years since Goswami launched Calcutta Kitchens, Goswami’s line of chutneys, stews and spice mixes has grown to sales nationwide, though her first and favorite form of public relations has always been farmers’ markets. At her market stall, Goswami began selling prepared foods along with her canned food, specializing in vegan and vegetarian food. “I can never finish it — I see a real need for it,” she said. “Indian food is great for vegetarians and vegans, and even gluten-free, no need to try to be different.”
With all this years of experience, the idea of building a storefront began to ripen somewhere in the back of her mind. Three years ago, Goswami moved to the Hudson Valley and everything fell into place. “All my farmer friends in the market are from this region,” she said. “I want to live where they live. The local community really appreciates this food.”
In India, “tiffin” refers to a light afternoon meal, the equivalent of afternoon tea in the UK, merienda in Spain, or the decidedly less glamorous after-school snack in the US – a transitional meal between lunch and dinner that can be sweet. The term is also used interchangeably to describe how everyone from schoolchildren to company executives in India use stainless steel stacked containers to pack their meals with different compartments for different dishes. (In megacities, an extensive chain of eateries in train cars and bicycles delivers fresh hot meals from home kitchens directly to workplaces – OG food delivery to Grub-Hub.)
Goswami does not like big meals and he misses this aspect of life in India. “In India, you can always go to these places for tea and fast food,” she said. “There are donuts and coffee, but I don’t always want a sweet tooth, a big sandwich or a big plate. I just want a little snack, something in between.”
However, she doesn’t necessarily think she can fill a gap in American cuisine. Goswami, who lived permanently in the farmers’ markets of Chord and Kingston, began to look for commercial cuisine. A friend introduced her to the landlord of 448 Broadway in Kingston, where the Artisan Bakery used to be. “When I saw this space, everything that was spinning in my head immediately fell into place,” says Goswami – tiffins, her line, Indian food ingredients.
“When I decided to open in Kingston, I didn’t know there wasn’t an Indian restaurant here,” Goswami said with a smile. “I didn’t want to be a pioneer. I just lived here and I love Kingston so I thought it would be good. It felt like it was being done at the right time and in the right place.
Since opening on May 4, Goswami has been serving homemade Indian food five days a week at his shop at 448 Broadway. Three of them were vegetarian and two were meat. Without a menu, she cooks whatever she wants based on the weather and seasonal ingredients. “It’s like your mother’s kitchen,” Goswami said. “You walk in and ask, ‘What’s for dinner tonight? I say, “I cooked this,” and then you eat. “In the open kitchen, you can see the Goswami at work, and it’s like pulling a chair up to someone’s dining table while they continue to chop and stir and chat over their shoulders.
Daily products are published via Instagram Stories. Recent appetizers include chicken biryani and koshimbier, a typical cold South Indian salad, googni, dry pea Bengali curry served with tamarind chutney and sweet buns. “Most Indian dishes are some kind of stew,” Goswami said. “That’s why it tastes better the next day.” paratha Frozen flatbreads like this. There is also hot tea and cold lemonade to sweeten the deal.
Jars of simmering sauces and chutneys from Kolkata’s cuisine line the walls of a bright and airy corner space, along with carefully curated recipes. Goswami also sells Indian staples, from pickled vegetables to the ubiquitous basmati rice, various types of dal (lentils) and some hard-to-find but essential spices like hing (asafetida). On and inside the sidewalk there are bistro tables, armchairs and a long communal table where Goswami hopes to one day have an Indian cooking class.
For this year at least, Goswami will continue to work at the Kingston Farmers’ Market, as well as the monthly markets at Larchmont, Phoenicia and Park Slope. “What I know and do wouldn’t be the same without the constant friendships I have with clients, and their feedback influences what I do and the experience I provide,” she said. “I’m so grateful for the knowledge I gained from the farmers’ market and I feel like I need to keep that connection going.”
Labels: restaurant, indian food, tiffin, indian takeaway, kingston restaurant, kingston restaurant, specialty market, indian grocery store, kolkata cuisine, aditigoswami