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Soumya Agrawal ’20 MBA says that food blogging was "up and coming" when she was living in India, and that was enough to whet her appetite.

When Agrawal started blogging for a website she describes as "India’s version of Yelp," her taste of blogging soon became a passion. Local restaurants and resorts invited her to visit or stop in for brunch, hoping that she’d write about her experience.

"I’ve always found food to be a very basic, yet important, factor in bonding with other people – whether in India or in the United States," said Agrawal, who moved to the U.S. in 2017. "It brings so many different kinds of people together, and that has always fascinated me."

A lifelong vegetarian, Agrawal says that vegetarian food is more difficult to find in the United States than in India. She sometimes makes her own recipes, which she shares with her friends and blog readers. Stuffed roasted peppers and mushroom and spinach ravioli are some of her favorites.

"When people check out my blog or my posts, they always tell me that it makes them hungry, and that’s amazing to hear," said Agrawal. "If I’m putting pictures on social media, they have to convey the essence of the food’s taste, they have to make it look tempting. My food blog has taught me about the importance of photography."

"I’ve always found food to be a very basic, yet important, factor in bonding with other people – whether in India or in the United States." Soumya Agrawal ’20 MBA

Agrawal’s experiences as a University of New Haven student have also served up opportunities to try new cuisines. Her professors took her and some of her classmates to Gabriele Ristorante Italiano, in Orange, Connecticut, where she tried eggplant parmesan for the first time. The experience left her hungry for more Italian food.

Agrawal is interested in trying well-known restaurants around the United States, and she is keeping a list of places that she’d like to try. She already has some local favorites, including Brindavan, an Indian restaurant in Milford, Connecticut, and she has her sights set on sharing her love of food beyond her blog.

"Eventually, I want to start a restaurant," said Agrawal. "I might go for a fusion, mix flavors, so people can try different things together."

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