Deepti - creator of Aroma and Essence

About Deepti and Aroma and Essence

Hello, and welcome! My name is Deepti and I am the creator of Aroma and Essence. I am a lover of food and international cuisine. My passion lies in trying and sharing new recipes with my friends and family. This blog is all about celebrating food and friendship. In my opinion, food always tastes better when shared. Together we can create magic in your kitchen.


Memories from my Childhood

Although according to my mom, my love for food started when I was very young, and my interest in cooking started at the age of 8. Mom and older sister went on a 4 day field trip and my dad, younger brother, and I were left to fend for ourselves. Dad was a great cook and he taught me the first things about the kitchen. He taught me how to make the best fluffy rice pilau, scrambled eggs with onions and peppers – Indian style, and Indian flatbreads (Paratha).

My mom is a fantastic cook. Her cooking abilities transferred to me over time and I continue to learn and improve. But, there are still things that I wish I could cook as she does. I continually challenge myself to try and improve.

Mom and Dad soon after their marriage
Mom and Dad soon after their wedding

Current life

At some point, I moved to Toronto, met my husband, and made Toronto my home. We have created two monsters who also love their food. Their interest in food keeps me encouraged and wanting to try new recipes and repeat tried and tested ones. Over the years, so many of my friends would ask me for my recipes, but like a true trial and error cook, I did not have much in terms of written recipes. I am more of a toss in this and that to create a recipe. I hardly use measurements for my cooking. When asked for a recipe, I would have to work hard at putting into words what I was so good at putting on a plate. I finally decided to create this blog, so I could easily share my recipes with everyone and hopefully leave something for my kids to fall back on when I am not around to cook for them.

Sunrise on Lake Ontario
My Favourite thing to do is watch Sunrises on Lake Ontario

World travels

I was born in India, grew up in Kenya, and lived in Hong Kong for 7 years before moving to Toronto. During these years, I was fortunate enough to eat and enjoy a variety of foods from various cultures. I had the opportunity to learn about food, cultures, and recipes from home cooks and chefs alike in these countries. I traveled to a few countries around the world and tasted various foods in these countries. Replicating some of these recipes here on my blog is my way of sharing them with you. I hope you can find recipes and foods here that you will make and fall in love with.


My Favourite Quote:

People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”
– Maya Angelou

I live by that philosophy when it comes to food and feeding family and friends.


Please don’t forget to follow me on social media. If you try any of the recipes, please do share them and tag me @aromaandessence.


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Stay Connected

If you like the recipe please leave a comment below. Don’t forget to sign up for the free newsletter and be the first to learn about all my new recipes. And, don’t forget to follow me on my social media accounts 
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