Meet your Instructor.

Asya Ollis
Founder & Chef

Asya's journey into Indian cuisine began after a transformative trip to South India, where she fell in love with the flavors and diversity of regional dishes, especially dosa. After returning to the U.S., she shifted from teaching music to pursuing a career in food, working at Per Se, Saveur magazine, and attending the Natural Gourmet Culinary School.

Her passion for South Indian cuisine deepened while working with cookbook author Maya Kaimal and during multiple trips to Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Karnataka, where she learned traditional recipes from local families.

Asya has since hosted cooking events, pop-up dinners, and virtual classes, sharing her love of South Indian food with others. She’s known for teaching interactive, hands-on classes in both New York City and Ithaca.

Asya brings authentic Indian culinary experiences to students, combining her culinary expertise with her love of South India’s unique cuisine. By a curious twist of fate, her mother chose to pronounce her name “Asha,” which means ‘hope” in Hindi. Asya wonders now if her career as a chef and champion of Indian cuisine was predestined from birth!

Asya
आशा

  • “We took a virtual class from Italy. Asya was great and it was fun to transform our kitchen from Italian to Indian for the day!”

    Stefano, Orvieto, Italy

  • “Asya’s South Indian Curries class was an exceptional experience in every way. She’s not only informative but also incredibly engaging. We learned so much in two hours, had great food and will be going back to learn more!”

    Anthony, Brooklyn, NY

  • “I attended one of Asya’s classes at Cornell. My colleagues and I connected over curry leaves and mustard seeds, and made dosa. Asya cooks, teaches and entertains! A truly memorable experience.”

    Heather, Ithaca NY