Hello
I am Viraj Bhalla, a 12th-grade student in Houston, Texas. I love engineering, space, and cooking! I love cooking all sorts of dishes, from roasted eggplant to grilled fish. In my free time, some of the things I do outside of cooking include racing go-karts, fishing, painting, writing, and expanding my engineering knowledge. My dream is to impact the world of aerospace engineering and help eradicate hunger worldwide.
My Story
During the summer of 2020, I was shocked to see the lines outside of food banks that stretched for long distances due to the food shortage created by the pandemic. Many people were suffering due to being laid off their jobs as well. Many of these people were in my own city. So, I decided do something.
I decided to combine my love for writing and cooking in order to make something that could help those in need of food; this is how Recipes from the Heart of India was born. I compiled the traditional Indian recipes that I make with my grandparents in a detailed and easy to use cookbook.
Ever since publishing Recipes from the Heart of India on Amazon.com in November of 2020, I have raised over $18,000, translating to almost 90,000 meals, to help the hungry. Using this money, I have donated to Feeding America, paid for school lunches for those in need, baked muffins for homeless shelters, held events at farmers markets, and even got a chance to donate to a group of girls in Mumbai, India through the Magic Bus program.
Contact
If you have any questions, comments, or would just to connect, please feel free to reach out!
409-927-9526