food
MEMOIR
A reluctant icon Noorbanu Nimji, a culinary force from Calgary, shared her spicy touch with the world Written by MANISHA CLAIRE Illustration by ANSON NG
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n 2016, Western Living magazine announced its annual Foodies of the Year list. It featured a typical selection of cutting-edge chefs and beverage masters, but among the honourees was also the oldest person ever named to the list, as well as the only home cook recognized that year: an eightysomething Calgary grandmother named Noorbanu Nimji. Five years later, it’s clear that Nimji’s presence on Western Living’s list—where she received the title of “Reluctant Icon”—was a fitting nod to her unique place in the Canadian food world. Nimji, who passed away last June at age 85, spent more than 40 years teaching fans around the world about the Indian and East African food of her Ismaili Muslim heritage through A Spicy Touch, a self-published
cookbook series that went on to sell several hundred thousand copies. From her home kitchen, she served as a one-woman cultural council, ensuring that multiple generations of Ismailis could learn about and appreciate their homelands. “When the time comes [and] our parents and grandparents are no longer around, how do we preserve that heritage aspect of our cooking?” says Ali Jadavji, a Calgary chef who grew up near the Nimji family. Through her recipes and her commitment to teaching the next generation, “Mrs. Nimji did that for us.” Nimji’s journey from homemaker to culinary celebrity started when she and her family arrived in Canada from Nairobi, Kenya, in 1974. As a young wife and mother, she learned to cook dishes MAY/JUNE 2021 • CHATELAINE
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