Ankita Vaidya is a chef, culinary instructor, and passionate advocate for preserving the stories behind food. Born and raised in India, she moved to Canada to pursue her lifelong dream of working with food. After culinary school and hands-on experience in restaurant kitchens, she launched her platform, Simmer & Spice, where she teaches classes, shares recipes, and builds community around culture-rich and flavor-forward cooking. Her work invites home cooks not just to replicate recipes, but to truly understand them, their roots, their rhythms, and their soul. She believes that food is not only nourishment, but a way to stay connected to identity, ancestry, and joy. She lives in Ontario with her husband and two children—her favorite taste testers and tiny kitchen helpers.