Lassi comes home
Written by Alyssa LaFaro
What happens when a professional chef and an agricultural economist come together? They create an innovative, delectable and healthy product: That Indian Drink.
In 2011, husband-and-wife team Ipshita Pall and Amrit Singh, both of whom grew up in India, created this unique milk and fruit blend, inspired by a traditional Indian drink called lassi that they enjoyed while growing up. The second largest consumed beverage in India after tea, this yogurt-based refreshment usually includes a variety of savory spices specific to different regions of India, helping with digestion and regulating the body’s internal temperature to cool in the summer and heat in the winter.
When Singh attended Cornell University, the couple fell in love with the Finger Lakes region. Pall, who competed on “Iron Chef America” in 2010, became a professional chef, and the two decided to recreate an American version of the drink. “We wanted to create a product that was fun, authentic and balanced, just like us,” they say. Their recreation of this classic Indian beverage features decadent and exciting fruit and spice blends. Using cow’s milk from Upstate New York, North American berries and mangos from Western India, three flavors were born: Blueberry Cardamom, Raspberry Cinnamon and Alphonso Mango.
This fall, the couple plans to release two new flavors: Cranberry Orange Rosemary and Apple Beet Ginger. Their excitement grows each day to share this drink with others. “We all love lassi,” the couple concludes confidently. “Some of us just don’t know that because we haven’t tried it yet.”
Alyssa LaFaro is a freelance writer and the managing editor of Syracuse Woman Magazine.
This article originally appeared in the Fall 2015 edition of the magazine.
