A celebrated chef, awardwinning author, and accomplished actress, she has spent over five decades championing Indian food, culture, and storytelling across continents.

Her breakout cookbook, An Invitation to Indian Cooking (1973), is considered a foundational text in Indian culinary literature and was inducted into the James Beard Foundation’s Cookbook Hall of Fame. Since then, she has authored more than 30 cookbooks, many of them bestsellers, covering not just Indian but also broader Asian and vegetarian cuisines

Madhur Jaffrey’s television series on BBC and PBS further solidified her reputation as a trusted guide to Indian flavors*offering practical recipes, historical context, and cultural insights with unmatched grace and clarity. She has won numerous accolades, including multiple James Beard Awards, and continues to be revered for her articulate, accessible, and elegant interpretation of Indian cooking.

As an actress, she starred in internationally acclaimed films like Shakespeare Wallah and Heat and Dust, bringing further global recognition to Indian talent and storytelling. Now in her 90s, Madhur Jaffrey remains a powerful influence*her voice, recipes, and legacy continue to inspire generations of chefs, home cooks, and cultural thinkers around the world.