SEWA Interns Complete 4,558 hours of Service

houston: Sewa International Houston Chapter hosted an Internship Gala for their “Get Inspired Houston” (GIH) and “Leadership Development through Community Engagement” (LEAD) interns on August 12 at the T.E. Harman Center in Sugar Land. The event was designed to celebrate the many accomplishments of 49 interns this summer. The interns accumulated over 4,558 hours of service in nearly nine weeks and served at Sewa’s ASPIRE (Assuring Student Progress in Remedial Education) centers, the Houston food bank, participated in a 5K Walk, attended leadership sessions with prominent community members, and underwent FEMA’s CERT (Community Emergency Response Team) training. Their service helped 75 kids at these centers and it also helped these interns to become better citizens of society.

During the Internship Gala, Anagha Patwari, Ronak Mehta, and Rutva Gupta assumed the roles of emcees, skillfully engaging the audience. They invited Nikhil Jain who initiated the proceedings with an interactive activity, urging the interns to encapsulate their experiences in a single word or phrase. This icebreaker segued into his poignant message about the inception of their internship journey. Jain emphasized the significance of perpetuating kindness and al-

houston: Sewa International is reaching out in the wake of the devastating fires that have struck Maui, Hawaii. Lives have been lost, homes turned to ashes, and communities in ruins.

Sewa International is actively engaged in bringing solace to the affected people. Our volunteers are working tirelessly to provide immediate aid and essential supplies to those affected. During this critical period, we appeal to you to join hands in bringing relief, rebuilding lives, and rekindling hope.

Your generous donation will provide victims with shelter, sustenance, and solace. Your contribution will directly impact their lives. Here’s how you can make a difference: truism among the interns, encouraging them to consistently extend support to others without reservation. Interns highlighted their accomplishments through a sixminute video depicting the service activities they participated in.

1. Donate: Visit our secure donation page https://sewausa. org/HelpMauiRisefromtheWildfireAshes to make a gift of any amount.

2. Spread the Word: Share this urgent appeal on your social media platforms using #MauiStrong and #SewaWildfireRelief. Your reach can help amplify our efforts and bring more help to those in need.

September 8, 2023

Akshaya Patra announces famous celebrity Chef Sanjeev Kapoor to Houston at Kiran’s Restaurant

Akshaya Patra to host celebrity chef Sanjeev Kapoor with renowned Houston chef Kiran Verma for a superb afternoon of delicious food, fun and fundraising.

Akshaya Patra provides 2+ Million hot mid day lunches at 20,000+ government schools in 15 states and 2 territories across India.

Join us in helping raise the funds for this noble and worthy cause.

Venue: Kiran’s Restaurant, 2925 Richmond Ave., Houston, TX 77098

Admissions & Donations: www.tinyurl.com/chefkapoor , www.apusa. org/events

Complimentary Valet Parking at the venue.

Houston Contact: Ashok Shah 832-518-9938, Janardan Thakkar: 713-249-4256, National - AP Development Director: Geeta Rai – 408839-1123

All donations & admission charges are tax deductible to the extent allowed by law. APUSA organization is a registered 501(c)3 organization. TAX ID: 01-0574950

houston: Jassi Bindra, the executive chef behind the Woodlands luxe Indian restaurant, Amrina, hinted last week that his appearance on Chopped would do Indian cuisine justice, and sure enough, the chef, known for his eclectic spin on Indian cuisine, did not disappoint.

The Indian native, who identifies as Sikh, went on to win the episode, taking home $10,000 and bragging rights for the Houston area and the Sikh community.

The chef appeared to go into the challenge with confidence, intending to use traditional recipes from India with his own eclectic touch. “I’m here to show how Indian cuisine can be sexy,” said Bindra before facing off in the appetizer challenge against Massachusetts chef Emilie Rose Bishop, traveling celebrity chef Morgan Ferguson from Maryland, and Rachel McGill, the first James Beard Award-nominated chef from Lincoln, Nebraska.

At first glance at the four ingredients required to concoct an appetizer, “I feel great actually, and not great,” Bindra said. But the chef went on to spin the Brick French Toast soaked in egg custard, watermelon radishes, smoked peanut butter mixed with Mexican hatch chiles, and canned sardines into mirchi walla, an Indian street feed that’s a stuffed pepper. Bindra stuffed poblano peppers with sardines and portobello mushrooms and topped them with a cheddar cheese fondue that used the peanut butter and panko bread crumbs. Judges had their doubts, with one questioning his use of peppers. “If he can pull that off, I will be so impressed,” said another, and Bindra pulled through, impressing the judges with layered flavors despite the dish’s large portion and lack of texture.

The chef resolved that he’d implement the judges’ feedback into consideration in the entree round when chefs were given 30 minutes to make an entree using a potato chip omelet, pea greens, raw Korean-style short ribs, and cherry cola. Bindra’s grilled short ribs with a pea green salad and Cola-coconut sauce, plated with a liquid egg mousse, was enough to get to the dessert round, where he sealed his win by transforming a giant fortune cookie, gooseberries, blue Hubbard squash, and camel milk into a fortune cookie Rabri, a popular Indian sweet dessert made with condensed milk with sugar, and combining it with candied squash and gooseberries. Though judges said the squash component in the dish was underwhelming, the dessert was still enough to win judges over.

Bindra said he believes the short rib dish is what truly solidified his win. “The only thing that came from the judges was it was delicious. I told them, ‘I need to go back to Texas, so I can’t mess up my meat!’ That made me feel proud,” Bindra says.

The chef held a watch party at Amrina on Tuesday, August 16, inviting guests to watch the excitement unfold. Bindra said reservations began “blowing up” starting at 5 p.m. and by the time of the episode, it was a packed house full of curious diners. People kept asking him whether he won. “I just said, ‘Keep watching!’ ... The fun was actually in watching. It felt like a game show with all the cheering,” he said.

Bindra says the show was a fun challenge. “It really brings out your inner qualities with planning and time management,” he said.

“If I get a chance again, I’d love to showcase my skills again.”

Until then, the chef will celebrate his win, which he considers a win for Houston and the Sikh community, too. Bindra says this could be the first time a turban chef from the community has won a reality TV cooking competition like Chopped, which is part of the reason he busted out with the Punjabi phrase “Balle Balle” and a popular dance Punjabi dance move following his win.

He’s hoping to share the experience, too. Bindra says he’ll donate some of his $10,000 to charity, particularly the Make-aWish Foundation. The remainder will go to gadgets for his kitchen, gifts for his son, and partying with his friends. Then, after restaurant week, he’ll offer a three-course Chopped menu at Amrina, with a twist on the three dishes featured on the show, so diners can get a literal taste. -- Eater Houston

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