This article is in partnership with Lipton.
The recent rise in TikTok food videos, reality TV cooking shows like MasterChef, and intimate dinner parties or supper clubs all signal a post-pandemic world’s renewed appetite for dining and foodie culture. With that in mind, perhaps there’s never been a better time to be a food creator. But Sneh Roy has been thriving in this scene well before viral pasta videos. Witnessing a remarkable “evolution” of how social media and food can join forces to become a rewarding career, the Sydney-based cook reflects on being “one of the early adopters of blogging” in this space.
Born and brought up in Mumbai, Sneh relocated to Singapore in her early 20s where she worked as a qualified computer engineer at a software company.
“I was building this recipe database – it was like a huge thing at that time… almost like a recipe portal,” Sneh tells me on Draw Your Box’s ‘Unfiltered Chai with Alicia Vrajlal’ podcast.
“I was cooking a lot, and I realised I’ve always been a creative at heart. My soul wasn’t really into coding. So I thought, ‘You know what, I’ll start a food blog and I’ll document everything that I’m cooking for this recipe portal’.”
Listen to our podcast interview with Sneh Roy below:
Within five months, Sneh was confident that creative cooking – and writing about it on a blog – was her true calling. “I kind of dropped the whole portal and just switched to blogging completely, because I realised I was one of the early adopters of blogging,” she says.
“It was on this platform called Movable Type, and I realised you could actually write, and other like-minded people would find you and connect with you and talk to you about food from all over the world.”
It was the power of connection and community storytelling that particularly drew Sneh to finding her online voice. Starting a blog called Cook Republic created opportunities for two-way communications with people whom Sneh may never have crossed paths with otherwise.
“It was like the most amazing thing,” she shares. “It’s like finding your people, and being able to talk about food all the time, and it being a really useful platform to introduce people to your ideas, and do the same – absorb from them and learn from them. So that’s how it started back in 2004,” she smiles over Zoom. “So, this is my 21st year of blogging.”
It’s an incredible milestone for the businesswoman who has written her own recipe book, won industry awards, conducted pop-up workshops for food photography and styling, and of course, forged an impressive following on younger social media platforms like Instagram – we’re talking over 150,000 followers. She has also jumped on the Substack newsletter bandwagon, explaining that the newsletter is “where I tell my stories, whereas on my blog now – it’s mainly recipes and really useful information on how to cook”.
After calling Australia her home for almost two decades, Sneh says it’s only in more recent years that she’s truly seen a surge in the celebration and popularity of diverse South Asian food. Yes, the “butter chicken and rogan josh” have long been staples on Indian restaurant menus, but only now are there a myriad of regional dishes finally getting the global recognition they deserve.
“There has been this huge shift, this big movement, in the last [eight years], maybe before COVID, and especially after COVID,” she explains. “I think Indian, Asian and South Asian [food] – it’s having a massive moment right now,” Sneh continues, mentioning “Malaysian cuisine, Indochinese cuisine, Sri Lankan and Indian itself”.
“People are not afraid to put all these new ideas and experiences in front of other people, and other people are lapping it up,” she beams. “They are really hungry to explore and experience new flavours from all parts of India, and I’m really, really loving that at the moment.”
Masala chai has been long synonymous with the food and beverage scene in the Indian subcontinent. What’s been a feel-good daily staple in many South Asian households around the world, has more recently evolved into a popular drink in the west – known as chai latte. From syrup-based versions often served at cafes, to pre-mixed blends stocked on supermarket shelves, an adaptation of the beverage has become accessible to the masses.
After a viral social media petition launched by customers to bring back Lipton’s Classic Chai Latte and Spiced Chai Latte, the tea brand has done just that. We mustn’t ignore the difference between a traditional chai (I’m reminiscing about my mum brewing a fresh serve on the stove with lots of milk, cardamom, Indian spices from Fiji, and extra cardamom), and a chai latte mix where you add water and stir. However, as a second-generation South Asian Australian, I believe each serves a great purpose. We can all enjoy both.
I ask Sneh about the appeal of a pre-mix packaged blend like the Lipton Chai Latte. Is it a quicker, convenient option when you’re on a tight schedule?
“I think if it’s done right, convenience is always welcome,” she says. “Because I think it’s a way of introducing something that is much bigger in an easier, quicker way, to a new audience.
“It’s the hook, right? You need to get people in and then once they love it, then they start experimenting with it… That’s what I’ve observed with using a bottle of curry paste, and making a curry. If it’s a good base, then you’re like, ‘OK, this is really good. Maybe I’ll try making my own’.
“It’s so convenient when you’re so pressed for time, especially for the younger generation [including South Asians], because they’re so busy and they haven’t grown up cooking or making these things from an early age. So I think it’s really good from that point of view.”
Speaking of trying different flavours and experimentation, Sneh mentions one of her most popular recipes, her famous Burnt Basque Cheesecake recipe that she has made at least 30 times. She challenges me to create a fusion version by adding some chai.
“If you love desserts, there’s this burnt basque cheesecake recipe in my cookbook, which is literally [where you] put everything in a blender, blend it, pour it in a pan and bake a 30-minute recipe. It is the most viewed and made recipe on my blog, and when I was actually creating that recipe, I tested it 27 times. So, you know, it is foolproof. It will work,” she laughs.
“It’s 27 times tried and tested?!” I respond.
“I was going to say,” she adds, “one of these Lipton sachets, you could actually empty that in the cheesecake and see how that works, because I think that’d be really beautiful. I think that like subtle chai flavour coming through the cheesecake might be really nice.”
When she’s not creating new recipes, writing on her blog or collaborating with other food brands, what does Sneh sit down and watch while enjoying a delicious meal or a warm and cosy cup of chai?
“I think one of my all-time favourite shows is this German show called Dark that I have watched a million times,” she shares. “I really like some of the harder hitting shows. There’s a show called Unbelievable,” Sneh continues.
Also a huge fan of comedy, The Office is her go-to for something “funny” and “clever”. Meanwhile, when it comes to movies starring South Asians, Sneh praises Dev Patel’s performance in Lion, an Aussie film based on the story of the real-life Saroo Brierley, who becomes separated from his family in India at age five and ends up being adopted by an Australian couple.
“It is an amazing movie. I’ve watched that several times, actually, and he’s a brilliant actor,” says Sneh, adding that “the storytelling was just so poignant… it just touched your soul”.
Just as someone like Dev Patel – who made his directorial debut in Monkey Man last year – is moving the needle when it comes to South Asian representation in Hollywood, I’d argue that Sneh is doing the same in the Australian food scene. With her home cooking studio renovations underway and more recipe trials on the horizon, I can’t wait to see what she does next. In the meantime, it’s time for me to try out that chai-flavoured burnt basque cheesecake!
This article is in partnership with Lipton. Fans can once again enjoy Lipton Chai Latte’s signature flavour – a combination of sweet, creamy and spiced. Lipton’s Classic Chai Latte and Spiced Chai Latte are available now at Coles stores nationally.
Top Image – Pictured: Sneh Roy, Source: Supplied
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