Artiste Focus 2015
Bhavna Mehta
Bhavna Mehta draws with a knife, cutting paper to tell visual stories. Her work is based on the idea that everything is connected. Mehta has been exhibiting her work since 2009 and her work was reviewed in Art Ltd and San Diego City Beat in 2013. She was one of the San Diego Art Prize Emerging artist winners working with Marianela de La Hoz in 2014. She collaborates with artists making Public Art using paper as a design medium. She has engineering degrees from both India and US and worked as a software engineer for many years before turning to art. She is currently working on her Creative Catalyst Grant project with the Oceanside Museum of Art made possible by a generous grant from the San Diego Foundation.
Sharavati Sathe
Sharavati Sathe, Director and teacher of her Kathak troupe has learned this ancient art form of Kathak from her Guru and mother late Mrs. Janaki Damle who herself was a student of Sunderlal and Kundanlal Gangani of the Jaipur gharana. Sharavati Sathe started learning Kathak from the age of 5. She has been teaching Kathak for the last 25 years, including 20 years in San Diego.
Sharavati has obtained the title "Sangeet Visharad" in Kathak (equivalent to a bachelors' degree in dance) from both Brihad- Gujarat Sangeet Samiti and Akhil Bharatiya Gandharva Mahavidyalaya. She has offered several performances both in India and US. In addition to teaching Kathak dance Sharavati holds a Masters degree in Clinical Dietetics and works as a Registered Dietitian at Palomar Health. She enjoys her spare time with her husband Dr.Vinay Sathe and children Shaleen, and Anish.
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As Founder and Executive Chef at Sattvik Foods, I bring a culture and my passion for food. In 1995, I started my culinary career in San Diego and ran a profitable restaurant and catering business for 14 years. I infused my background of upbringing in Kenya, Africa with mixture of African style of cooking, in fusion with the Asian and American influences for creating flavorful masterpieces. Sattvik’s mission is to provide families with fresh, healthy and nutritious meals for a private meal, a party or any event.
In 2011, I also launched Cooking 4U offering Personal Chef Services and cooking classes to clients throughout San Diego. While raising my children as a single parent, I noticed that due to the fast paced life in the USA people were struggling to prepare their day to day meals. Compared to the stress of owning and running a restaurant, my new venture afforded me more time and satisfaction on a personal level.
Minal
Minal’s philosophy is ‘Art is in the eye of the Beholder’ – and to that end she aspires to design her art in creative paintings, multi-media and wearable art! Minal as a Bachelor’s degree in textile design and continued her education with graduate studies in Sew product business and Certification in clothing construction. She has worked with well-known merchandize buying agencies and gained hands-on experience with international designers and buyers. She had her own retail business for 6 years and is currently working with designer Zandra Rhodes.
She is passionate about the textile and fashion industry and wishes to expand her skill by working with dedication and innovative team of designers. Her goal is to bring together the Eastern textiles and fashion to the Western market by developing unique designs and style. From Runway to Reality, create wearable art with love, honor and commitment.
Anindita
Mesmerized by its unique complex sound, Anindita was drawn to playing the sitar at an early age. She started training on the sitar in Hindustani Classical music at the age of seven. She earned her diploma in music (Vid) from Indira Kala Sangeet Vishwavidyala, Khairagarh, India in instrumental Hindustani classical music, securing the second rank amongst all students nationwide. At present, she is training under the tutelage of Pt. Debiprasad Chatterjee. Her repertoire spans solo performances, jugalbandi with other instrumentalists and accompanying vocalists on various stages. She was a part of CRY's fundraising campaign and was a guest artist playing on the track for ‘Tell us what she cannot do’.
Anindita is a microbiologist by profession with a PhD degree and broad range of research experience in drug discovery. At present, she is engaged with the life science entrepreneurial community. In her spare time, apart from practicing on the sitar, she enjoys embarking on road-trips with her husband.
Aditi Mehta
Aditi Mehta is born and raised in SoCal. A graduate of UCI, she has a degree in Public Health. Aditi grew up dining on delicious homemade food by her mom and grandma, although everyone in her family has a ‘foodie’ gene including her dad, brother, aunts!
Aditi’s interest was piqued specifically in desserts on account of her hyper-active sweet tooth! She experimented with boxed mixes and finally evolved to elaborate French desserts from scratch. She decided on taking her passion for pastry to a new level by making a huge career change! She is now attending an acclaimed culinary school to improve upon & learn new techniques for her new venture: Sugar Lotus, a home-based bakery with an Asian flair!
When not dreaming up delicious desserts, Aditi loves to go on gastronomical adventures with friends & family to discover new restaurants & foods.
Come and taste delicious sweet creations by Sugar Lotus Bakery!