“The Road to Kali” blends family recipes, memories and life lessons in what the author calls a “Foodoir”
South African chef and entrepreneur Pashi Reddy is finally releasing his long-awaited literary memoir and cookbook, The Road to Kali: An Unorthodox Foodoir, after spending six years waiting for what he believes is the right moment.
Reddy began writing the 350-page book during South Africa’s first Covid-19 lockdown in 2020. As the world slowed down, he took on a personal mission to preserve his family’s memories, traditions and recipes before they were lost to time.
Over the next year, he completed the manuscript, which features more than 85 family recipes alongside personal stories, photographs and treasured memories. Every dish in the book was personally cooked, styled and photographed by Reddy while he was confined to his home during lockdown.
Despite completing the project years ago, Reddy decided not to publish it immediately.
He had always envisioned The Road to Kali as a beautiful hardcover coffee table book that families could enjoy for generations. However, producing such a book with more than 350 pages and full-colour photography would have made it too expensive for many readers.
Rather than release it at a price that was out of reach for the people he wrote it for, Reddy chose to wait.
Although food plays a central role in the book, the chef insists it is much more than a cookbook.
He describes it as a “Foodoir” – a unique blend of food and memoir that celebrates family, culture and the stories passed down from one generation to another.
Reddy says the book was written with a deeper purpose: to encourage people to cherish their loved ones, preserve family traditions and appreciate the ordinary moments that often become life’s most meaningful memories.
Unlike many chefs, Reddy never attended culinary school. His passion for cooking started at home, where his father introduced the family to traditional dishes and flavours from different cultures during their travels.
That passion later grew alongside his wife, Kamisha “Kim” Naidoo-Reddy. What began as cooking together during date nights soon turned into a successful business venture as the couple started selling food at local markets around Durban.
Their lives changed in 2018 when they appeared on the second season of My Kitchen Rules South Africa. Their bold flavours earned them the nicknames “Spice King and Queen,” and they went on to reach the grand finale.
Viewers also witnessed a memorable personal moment when Reddy proposed to Kim during the semi-finals of the competition.
The television exposure helped launch several successful businesses, including the Lady Tiffin spice range, The Food Box in Durban and their Umhlanga restaurant, Kali.
Despite his achievements, Reddy admits he once questioned whether anyone would be interested in reading his story. Over time, however, he realised that the book is not really about him.
Instead, he says it is about family, legacy and preserving the people and memories that shape our lives.
The Road to Kali: An Unorthodox Foodoir will be released as an ebook on Reddy’s website and on Amazon by the end of this month, giving readers around the world the chance to experience the stories and recipes that have been six years in the making.
