Building Community, a Cabbage Bake at a Time with Lavanya Narayanan

Lavanya Narayanan’s culinary heart is deeply rooted in both Indianapolis and India. Her family found a unique community of immigrants and ties to their shared Tamil culture in the Midwest: sharing music, holidays, and (of course) food. In this episode, Lavanya and her mother Bhooma share the origin story of a baked cabbage dish that brought with it a chosen family.

If you’re hungry for more of this story, you can read Lavanya Narayanan’s original essay “The 'Cabbage Bake' That Brought Together a Community of Immigrants,” published by Food52.

My Family Recipe is created by the Food52 Podcast Network and Heritage Radio Network, inspired by the eponymous Food52 column.