Cooking Her Way from India to California
Ruta grew up in the four corners of India: Delhi in the north, Hyderabad in the south, Calcutta in the east, and Bombay in the west. After exploring regional Indian cuisine and local street food, she spent 20 years in the San Francisco Bay Area where she wrote the bestselling Indian cookbook 5 Spices 50 Dishes. Ruta kept the spotlight on healthy Indian food at her popular cooking school in Oakland, on local TV as a guest chef, and by leading culinary tours to India.
Milwaukee, With a Detour in Tropical Goa
When her daughters were tiny, Ruta moved the family to Goa, India—a tropical paradise with amazing beaches and a unique Indo-Portuguese cuisine. For the next 10 years, she got her customers to eat their veggies at six cafés, some supplied by her own organic farm. Today, Ruta calls beautiful Milwaukee home. While here, she wrote her third Indian cookbook, opened Ruta’s Fresh Indian Fare, and invented the NaanMelt: a flavor bomb of a grilled sandwich.
A Modern Touch on a Traditional Cuisine
Through all her travels, one thing has stayed constant: Ruta’s lifelong passion for clean, healthy Indian cooking. The format may be fast casual, but the food is made fresh in small batches and stays true to its Indian roots. Recipes are veggie-forward, featuring superfoods like turmeric and other spices that boost immunity. Ruta follows the ancient Ayurvedic principle: when you balance colors, textures, and the six basic tastes, food becomes your best medicine.
What Makes Ruta’s Different?
Food you feel good about eating! It’s light and vibrant, with the goodness of Indian home cooking. Choose the best Indian meal for your diet or fitness plan: vegan, vegetarian, gluten free, low calorie, or high protein. Alongside your favorite chicken curry, enjoy hard-to-find regional Indian dishes like juicy pork from Goa. And don’t miss our Chai Bar with unique house drinks—from organic chai to protein-rich lassis—all crafted fresh in-house.