London Supper Club Chef Reveals The Most Underrated Cuisine You Need To Try

What does it mean to reclaim your culture through food?Sohini Banerjee is a chef, food writer, and the founder of Smoke and Lime, a Bengali supper club bringing London's Desi community together one dinner at a time. This episode is part of our South Asian Heritage Month season and it is one of my favourites we have made.We talk about Bengali culture, the gentrification of South Asian food, the assimilation struggle of growing up British South Asian, and how Sohini built a freelance food business from scratch by simply refusing to shrink herself or her cooking.If you have ever been told your food smells, your culture is too much, or that STEM is the only acceptable path, this one is for you.Timestamps00:00 Intro: Welcome to Reclaiming Bossy01:04 Meet Sohini: Chef and Smoke & Lime founder02:01 Exploring the Bengali community and its nuances04:18 Unique aspects of Bengali culture and arts05:21 The story behind Smoke & Lime Supper Clubs07:03 The gentrification of South Asian food and zero waste10:38 Misconceptions and the Matcha vs. Chai debate11:56 Overcoming the assimilation struggle14:06 Growing up British South Asian18:10 Rediscovering Desi identity away from home20:07 Reclaiming brown womanhood through food23:31 How to get started hosting supper clubs25:44 Navigating privacy when hosting strangers at home29:44 How to price your supper club and know your worth32:24 The brown female tax and defending your rates35:06 Content creation advice: don't take it too seriously36:56 Letting go of opinions and being authentic38:54 Rapid fire: Bengali artists you need to know40:05 Why Desi cooking is all about the vibes41:22 Stop villainizing carbs42:17 Advice to my younger self: ditching STEM stereotypes42:46 What it means to reclaim being "bossy"43:50 Where to find Shohini and her supper clubs45:27 Final thoughts and outroGuest LinksSohini's Website: https://sohinibanerjee.com/ Smoke and Lime Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/smokeandlime/ Sohini's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sohini-banerjee-smoke-and-lime-0b5a2215a Sohini's About Page: https://sohinibanerjee.com/about/ Sohini's Substack: https://sohinibanerjee.substack.com/If you enjoyed this episode and learning about Bengali culture, send it to someone who you think would love it. And if you ever get the chance to eat Sohini's food, do not think twice.BUILD YOUR BOLDEST + BOSSIEST LIFE/ CAREERBossy Behind the Scenes: Essays, reflections, resources and all the behind-the-scenes of building a bold, bossy life.⁠https://substack.com/@bossybehindthescenes⁠WORK WITH MECreator/Founder Office Hours: Bring me your ideas, questions or whatever you’re stuck on, and we’ll turn it into a plan.⁠https://calendly.com/maahika/mentoring?back=1⁠Founders + brands: Work with me on storytelling, personal branding, content and strategy through Empower Sounds Media.Book a Strategy Session : ⁠https://calendly.com/maahika/branding-strategy-session?back=1&month=2026-07⁠Book a discovery call : ⁠https://calendly.com/maahika/discovery-call?back=1⁠Join the next personal branding sprint : ⁠https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeNPFNgdt02CyvYsb6n9i8kmvEJRxQDmTwOVusTxII_tMoJ7Q/viewform?usp=header⁠Follow The Podcast/ Connect With MePodcast Instagram: @reclaimingbossyPodcast TikTok: @reclaimingbossyMy Instagram: @maahika.sMy TikTok: @maahika.sCollaborations + enquiries: [email protected]