The Indian city of Hyderabad, where my family hails from, is famous for its biryani — a dish I’ve struggled to love over the years. I went back to my grandmother’s kitchen to learn how to make it Saveur’s beautiful special issue dedicated to India.
Recent Work
I reported on some of the new action in Buenos Aires’s up-and-coming Villa Crespo neighborhood for the New York Times.
What happens when an ancient culinary tradition decides to go molecular? My review of Mumbai’s innovative Masala Library in the New York Times.
I have two stories in the May/June issue of Virtuoso Life: the first is a spotlight on Cape Town’s Central Business District (CBD), which has undergone quite a transformation in…
I found this awesome flower shop that doubles as an ultra-hip bar in Buenos Aires — read all about Floreria Atlantico in the New York Times.
Cape Town isn’t just about design in 2014: the culinary scene is heating up too. Here are some of the latest hot spots for Food & Wine.
South Africa’s spring months see an amazing natural phenomenon, where the west coast explodes in a rainbow of wildflowers. I tracked them down on a road trip for the New York Times.
I reported on the changing face of Cape Town’s colorful Bo-Kaap neighborhood for the New York Times.
My favorite issue when I worked at Travel + Leisure was the annual Food Issue, and before I left T+L debuted an epic Eat Like a Local package, filled with…
Awards & Books
Awards
- Lowell Thomas Travel Journalism Awards, 2021: Honorable mention for the Grand Award, Travel Journalist of the Year
- South Asian Journalists Association, 2021: Outstanding Arts and Culture Reporting for “Zanzibar in the Rain,” New York Times
- Lowell Thomas Travel Journalism Awards, 2020: Bronze in Short Work on Travel for “Raise the Roof,” Condé Nast Traveler
- South Asian Journalists Association, 2019: Outstanding Arts, Culture, and Lifestyle Reporting about South Asia for “Force of Nature,” Surface magazine
- Lowell Thomas Travel Journalism Awards, 2018: Gold award in US/Canada Travel for “A Muslim American’s Homecoming: Cowboys, Country Music, Chapatis,” New York Times
- Lowell Thomas Travel Journalism Awards, 2018: Bronze in Service-Oriented Consumer Work for “My Town,” Virtuoso Life
- Lowell Thomas Travel Journalism Awards, 2017: Gold in Culinary-Related Travel for “Eating Bunny Chow in Durban,” Saveur
- South Asian Journalists Association, 2017: Outstanding Arts and Culture Reporting for “Eating Bunny Chow in Durban,” Saveur
- North American Travel Journalists Association Awards, 2016: Two Silver awards in Destination Travel and Adventure Travel for “7 Days, 1500 Miles in Namibia,” New York Times
- Lowell Thomas Travel Journalism Awards, 2016: Gold in Foreign Travel for “7 Days, 1500 Miles in Namibia,” New York Times
- Lowell Thomas Travel Journalism Awards, 2015: Gold in Personal Comment for “Returning to Hyderabad, Once a Land of Princes and Palaces,” New York Times
- Solas Awards for Best Travel Writing, 2013: Silver in Most Unforgettable Character for “Spitting Distance in Jodhpur,” Wall Street Journal
Books
- New York Times Cultured Traveler: Contributed a feature on Bosnia & Herzegovina to this upcoming anthology
- Best American Travel Writing 2021: “City of Saints” from Travel + Leisure was selected for the 2021 edition of this anthology, edited by Padma Lakshmi and Jason Wilson
- New York Times 36 Hours World: 150 Cities from Abu Dhabi to Zurich: Contributed 36 Hours guides to Johannesburg and Mumbai for this anthology
- My Life Abroad: A Selection of Expat Stories: Contributed to this compilation of expat stories from around the globe, recounting my experience as an American in South Africa, in the chapter “From New York City to Cape Town.”
- The Places We’ve Been: Field Reports from Travelers Under 35: Contributed my essay “When Coconuts Attack” to this travel anthology.