In the latest episode of the Speaking of Phenomenal podcast, host Amy Boyle welcomes entrepreneur Anupy Singla, the founder of lifestyle and food company Indian as Apple Pie and author of four cookbooks on Indian cuisine. For the past 10 years, Anupy has shared Indian recipes and encouraged the use of fresh spices with one main goal: to promote the authenticity of Indian food as a way of connecting to one's cultural roots.
Born in India and raised outside of Philadelphia, Anupy took her first cooking lesson from her grandfather, who was born in a small village in India, during one of his visits to her childhood home. She fell in love with Indian cuisine. Years later, after becoming a mom and facing the daily challenge of putting healthy and tasty food on the table, she left her career in broadcast journalism and pursued her passion for cooking and Indian food. "When you're giving your kids your culture, you can give it to them on a plate and they don't even realize it, but it just instills this love of their culture and their roots in them."
What started as a blog where she casually shared her life evolved into an educational and retail platform where Anupy employs systematic recipe testing and facilitates access to fresh spices made in the U.S. and shipped from Chicago. Coming from a professional background unrelated to cooking, she bravely embraced the challenges of entrepreneurship, taking a hands-on approach to her business and getting involved with all parts of the process, from recipe testing to dealing with customers.
Anupy's career transition shows that the skills learned in another profession are never wasted. In this episode, she shares how her writing and reporting skills helped her clarify misconceptions about Indian spices and cooking methods. Curry powder is not used in India. Black pepper and white pepper are the same thing. Passionate about healthy eating, she has also investigated ways to make Indian food even healthier through alternative cooking methods like air-frying and baking instead of deep-frying. "My goal is not to get folks addicted to sugar or salt. It's to get them addicted to the delicious food that is in the container."
As someone who wants to "always be striving for more," Anupy is now expanding her business to frozen food and will also lead a food tour to Northern India in February 2025. Her trajectory from a professional journalist to a mom and then to an entrepreneur inspires us to make the most of our needs and those of people we care about with creativity and passion. When faced with challenges in your path, what is your approach?
Carolina Baldin is a freelance journalist from Brazil. Having worked in law, policy and regulation, she is passionate about everyday stories that illustrate larger issues. She graduated from a master's program at Northwestern University in 2023 and became a guest blogger on the "Speaking of Phenomenal" podcast blog in March 2024.
Chicago Magazine and original 52 Phenomenal Women post on Anupy Singla.