A LOVE OF TRADITION, A TASTE FOR THE NEW

Tanya Tracy is the culinary force and Chief Food Officer behind Gourmet Home Cooking, a purveyor of fine food products including baked goods, chutneys, pickles, dips, relishes and pasta sauces. Her inventive East-meets-West mix of flavors has garnered her buzz among foodies in New York City and the Hamptons, where she’s known as the “Chutney Queen.” (Her signature Jalapeno Chutney is a hot seller in every sense of the term!)

Tanya has trained at Manhattan’s renowned Institute of Culinary Center but calls upon the tastes and techniques she picked up in her native India to inspire her creations. “In India, our house was always filled with guests and the savory smell of cooking,” she says. “I grew up on dishes that seem so exotic here—Punjabi Goat Brain Masala, Kashmiri Lotus Root, Chayote Squash, Buttered Turnips and Spiced “It’s funny how in America, when we think about a pickle, most people only know of a dill pickle!”Pistachio Himalayan Raisin Phirni to name a few.” Tanya has warm childhood memories of hours spent in the kitchen with the family cook or watching her mother baking Radish Parantha and Tandoori Keema Naan in a clay oven. Summer vacations meant visiting her maternal grandparents in Chandigarh, India where her grandfather, a retired forest officer, maintained an extensive vegetable garden and a beautiful orchard with every imaginable fruit tree from Mango to Guava to Jackfruit to Lemon to Mulberries. “I remember grabbing a basket immediately upon arrival to pick grapes off of the grapevine on Grandpa’s terrace or climbing Guava trees with my cousins and eating the fresh-picked fruit while sitting on a branch,” says Tanya. It engendered a lifelong love of organic and seasonal ingredients, which are at the heart of every Gourmet offering.

After a career in Wall Street, Tanya turned her love of experimenting in her own kitchen into her full-time passion. She worked with her mother to develop new chutney flavors with seasonal fruits and unexpected ingredients such as blackberry mango, pineapple lavender, rum raisin, apricot and cilantro peanut among many other delectable flavors. The mother-daughter duo also pickled everything from jackfruit to carrots to grapefruit to pearl onions. Says Tanya, “It’s funny how in America, when we think about a pickle, most people only know of a dill pickle!”

Using spices from all over the world and herbs grown in her Hampton’s garden, she started canning her line of chutneys and pickled treats in 2012 and selling them at local food fairs. “The first one I worked, I sold out of everything,” she recalls. “Now when I set up at the farmers markets, there are regular, loyal customers waiting anxiously to replenish their favorite chutneys, cookies and get my dips for the week.”  “People want to eat healthy and gourmet with fresh ingredients” says Tanya. Her food appeals to folks from all ethnic backgrounds.  Just as she has a penchant to eat a different cuisine for every meal, she believes that most people are like her and want to have healthy delicious cuisine choices. It is this philosophy that she lives by and brings to the culinary world. It’s not just her exceptional food flavors; it’s also her presentation, passion and personal style captivate her audience.

Tanya is a private chef in the Hamptons and NYC. Folks who want to keep their budget affordable, hire Tanya for their catering needs rather than have her come in as a Chef. If hired as a Chef, Tanya brings a sous chef, server/s and bartending staff (depending on the size, budget and needs of the party). Tanya has made a name for herself as a Hamptons Chef. Says Tanya, “I love doing the Farmers Markets because it is one on one marketing where I meet new clients who get to try my food and love it and the next thing you know, I am hosting their next memorable event. Tanya chefs 2 person intimate dinners to large family gatherings, holiday parties, and corporate events. Tanya continues to host shopping soirées, holiday events and cooking demonstrations in the Hamptons and NYC. Bon appétit!