Today we’d like to introduce you to Shruti Doctor.
Hi Shruti, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I moved to Atlanta about 4 and 1/2 years ago for my new job, I didn’t know anyone here, I just moved into a house with six strangers and left the rest up to the universe. Little did I know how quickly those six people would become some of my closest friends and some of my biggest supporters. I started my foodie Instagram account about 3 and 1/2 years ago after I started cooking and sharing my food with my roommates, and they were truly behind me every step of the way. I wouldn’t have felt the confidence or even continued on this long without them, or my family who cheered me on from afar. Growing up, I was definitely the chubby kid who loved to eat and let’s be honest, I’m still that kid. I always thought that’s where it stopped, it was just that I loved to eat, but when I moved out of my parent’s house and had to learn to fend for myself, that’s where I truly discovered my passion for cooking and baking. My mom is an amazing cook and I’m incredibly blessed (spoiled?) to have had the opportunity to eat her food growing up, and my dad makes some of the best egg and chicken dishes out there, so leaving that and learning to cook for myself wasn’t easy, because nothing I made tasted like their food. In college, my roommates and I would make meals here and there, and that’s where I taught myself the basics of cooking I’d say. While being in Atlanta, I’ve spent a lot of time expanding my technical knowledge in the culinary arts, and while I’m not classically trained, the food world is one of those few places where you don’t need a degree to get you places. What I was not at all expecting when I started my journey of becoming a recipe developer and food writer, is that so many bakeries, restaurants, and food distributors were reaching out to and acknowledging me! It’s part of why I love Atlanta so much, after moving here I truly learned what it means to live in and be a part of a community, and that community teaches you to think about more than just what impacts YOU, it teaches you to think about how we can help each other, and help those in need. Atlanta is a place that cares about everyone. Another part that I also love about being in Atlanta is how farm-to-table focused the city is. Grant Park Farmer’s market is my go-to for produce, my weekly sourdough loaf (thanks Osono’s!) and a quick bite to eat. As I continue in my journey of a hopeful, professional recipe developer and food writer, I know that I can reach people who are willing to teach me, acknowledge me, and collaborate with me. It’s a place full of opportunities, and in my (probably really biased but not in a bad way) opinion, one of the best spots for a foodie to thrive.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
While it definitely has not been a smooth road, I can’t say it hasn’t been enjoyable. By trade, I’m an engineer, so having the opportunity to dig deep and work further to perfect recipes I’m working on while cultivating my taste has been a fun challenge. It’s been interesting to discover different flavor profiles, see how people on social media came up with their own renditions of different recipes, and what types of ingredients work best for me. Nowww pastry has been difficult, I’m currently working through a TikTok series I started called “baking croissants ’til I make it” – I’m baking croissants until I get hired by a food magazine as a writer and recipe developer. This series so far has been a bit of a fail, but it’s a process! It’s okay that I haven’t made the perfect croissant yet, but I will continue to practice, share my thoughts and reasoning behind my techniques and approaches until I get there. I think what sets me apart from a lot of the other food content creators is that I’m not always trying to create my own version of things from scratch. It’s okay that you used someone else’s recipe (make sure to give them credit!) and make your own tweaks to it. I think that’s what so beautiful about food – anything can be your own, and a lot can be good, but it really takes something special to make it REALLY good – and that’s really my ultimate goal with food writing and recipe development. One of my favorite things I’ve “tweaked” is Joshua Weissman’s chocolate chip cookie recipe. The recipe calls for melted butter – I used brown butter, I added a pinch of cinnamon, and although the recipe calls for a bar of chocolate, I used chocolate chips because that was all I had. It was a really good cookie!
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I am a biomedical engineer for BD (Becton Dickinson), I work in Quality under our Endourology franchise. I really love what I do, it’s a constantly evolving challenge, and while it may stressful at times, I love that I’m able to make decisions that will have a bigger impact on a higher level for our customers/patients. I’m most proud of the person/professional I’ve become. I used to be incredibly indecisive and timid – while working at BD, I have become confident, adamant, and decisive. I also spent a short time as a kitchen assistant at Sur La Table, and I loved every minute of it. I learned that patisserie may be my path, as I prefer early mornings! However, both engineering and the culinary fields are male-dominated, I have learned how to hold my own and not let others intimidate me (or at least try my best to not show them that I’m intimidated). I know what the path forward should be and how to get there, and nothing can get in my way.
As the eldest daughter who came from an immigrant family, I have this deep-rooted belief that I need to be able to make it through life on my own, with my love for great tasting food never waned with time, I really wanted to be able to make these foods for myself. It wasn’t until about a year into this journey that I decided, it’s something I wanted to share with people through social media. It’s incredibly inspiring to see chefs like Padma Lakshmi, Priya Krishna, and more pave the way for more people to follow in pursuit. I’d love to be able to take my food writing and recipe developing dreams, and work for publications such as Bon Appetit, Food52, or the NYT cooking segment. Cooking is love, and I truly believe it’s meant to be shared, and that’s all I really want to do, is share what I love with my community.
Is there something surprising that you feel even people who know you might not know about?
A lot of people may not know this about me, but as someone who travels very frequently, every time after an international trip, I have an INTENSE craving for McDonald’s! I can’t explain it – I just need that Donny’s when I land on American soil lol.
Contact Info:
- Website: TikTok – @shirerat69
- Instagram: @shrutifoodie
Image Credits
All photos were taken by friends.
