TRUST ME I KNOW WHAT I'm DOING

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So it's the late summer here in the US, and it means that for many a time to savor the last days of warm weather and the last freedoms before school starts. For me, I’ve been thinking a lot lately about how these late summertime memories motivate me, both from celebrating and rekindling the emotions of the past and harnessing those loyalties to spark new creativity and innovation. Now if there’s one summer loyalty that generally gets me motivated, it’s ice cream, especially on a hot day, but truthfully for an enthusiast like me anytime of day or year. Now late summer ice cream memories for me were equally a cheap but heartyThrifty’s ice cream cone in the San Fernando Valley or the Naturals Ice Cream near Shivaji Park in Dadar, and every detail of the experience from the anticipation of almost being there, to the melting drip down the side, to which family members were with me, to the walk or drive back home is all imprinted quite deeply. Interestingly, for Pooja Bavishi, an Indian American who grew up in North Carolina, her own similar window into this diasporic experience and its evolving story have taken expression through creating new and exciting ice cream and food memories as the founder and CEO of Malai. Framed by her own childhood filled with singular Indian spice and food blends across an exposure to multiple generations, her own educational training in business, and her love of hospitality, she found herself through ice cream, experimenting and iterating and perfecting that elusive blend of both harnessed memories and creative innovation. Pooja notes that she founded Malai in Brooklyn, NY in 2015, because desserts bring people joy, and she wanted to be in the business of delivering happiness. What started as an ice cream cart, has turned into multiple NY venues and nationwide shipping. Pooja’s own ongoing Indian American story is woven securely into Malai’s evolution and growth and thoughtfulness at every step. That storytelling is most obvious in the menu - with flavors like Kheer, Pumpkin Garam Masala Crumble, Chikoo, Carrot Halwa, seasonal flavors for Holi and Divali like Thandai or Ghughra (or Karanji), and even Sweet Roti and Ghee. So we had a chance to catch up and share a conversation about her own reflections on Malai and how much nostalgia has played a role in its success so far.