Tastemaker: Samah Dada
Meet the chef and author behind Dada Eats, redefining South Asian cuisine
Welcome to Tastemakers, our ongoing interview series spotlighting people with great taste—how they live, create, and notice what others miss.
Meet Samah Dada, chef, cookbook author, and the radiant force behind Dada Eats.
Lexi first met Samah over Zoom in one of her Sur La Table classes during peak lockdown, where lentil falafel and cucumber kachumber came together as effortlessly as her warmth on screen. Fast-forward to this summer, when we got to see her IRL at her ten-year Dada Eats pop-up at Hav & Mar.
Samah’s taste is intuitive—blending the familiar with the unexpected, finding meaning in simplicity, and joy in the details. She’s redefining modern South Asian representation in food media, one date-stuffed dessert and dosa at a time.
👀 S.C.O.U.T—Samah’s Take
Seeing | Love and Other Ways of Dying by Michael Paterniti—It’s beautifully written and I’ve been carrying it around everywhere to read in coffee shops and in transit (why do I always feel cooler when I have a book in tow?).
Consuming | Semma—The gunpowder dosa is literally one of the best things I’ve ever eaten, and I would in fact eat it for every meal if I could. A gunpowder dosa has masala spread on the inside of the dosa, in addition to the potatoes stuffed inside. It’s divine.
On The Way Out | Octobuddy—This week was my breaking point in realizing that I need to get rid of my stupid Octobuddy suction sticky thing on the back of my phone. It’s useful about 20% of the time or whatever, but it sticks to literally EVERYTHING the other 80%, and I’m so over it. I think it’s gotta go.
Unearthing | You Can Choose Your State of Mind —When I’m low, it’s easy to sit in that feeling because it can be all-consuming. But sometimes, I get so tired of feeling that way, that one day, I will just wake up and think to myself, “enough!” It’s a choice to not let something affect you, it’s a choice to choose your reaction to a situation, and it’s a choice to remain stuck. An initial emotion lasts for 90 seconds, and after that, it’s a decision to stay in it by replaying the thoughts or the feelings of the emotion or what exactly affected you. Little steps out, still move you forward and I’m learning I can choose differently.
Trying | Matchaful—I am a coffee drinker, but recently I was at home in California watching my sister make a matcha every day and I thought to myself that it might be my time. My homemade matchas are very much a work in progress (read: very sad to look at) but I’m a chef—not a barista! If you’re in NYC, a quick stop at one of Matchaful’s cafés will not disappoint. Plus you can pick up one of my favorite sweet treats while there: Peanut Caramel Crunch Dates or the Date Caramel Cookie Cake. I’ve been working closely with the Matchaful team over the past few months, developing these recipes exclusively for the store so you guys can enjoy a date-based dessert alongside your matcha. Get them before our collaboration ends!
❤️🔥 In The Spotlight with Samah Dada
Tell us a little about yourself.
I’m a chef, television host, and the founder of Dada Eats, a food blog I started a decade ago on Instagram.
I started my career as an NBC Page, giving studio tours to eager tourist groups at 30 Rock, 6 days a week! After that I worked as a production assistant at the TODAY Show, where the producers scouted (see what I did there?) my blog and started booking me on the show as a cooking guest when I was 23. It totally changed my life, and jump started my career in food television.
I left my job shortly after to write a cookbook and pursue my work with Dada Eats full time. My mission is to make everyone feel heard, accepted, seen through my food—and to champion South Asian representation in the media and food media space.
How do you describe your taste in three words?
Minimal, confident, understated.
If your life was a book, what would this chapter be titled?
Just getting started.
What menus are currently inspiring you?
Semma, because of how beautifully regionally specific the dishes are. My friends in Copenhagen at POPL burger (where I did a pop-up last year), and noma of course.
What’s your favorite thing to cook for other people, and your favorite thing to cook for yourself?
For other people: Indian food. Dal, lemon rice, chana masala…the comfort food of my dinner table growing up.
For myself: pasta because it’s simple, and I’m often so spent after cooking and testing all day that I have less energy to cook for myself. But I’m working on this, and ritualizing dinner for me, too!
What are some of your personal signatures, the details that feel distinctly you?
Dates, of course. The kind you eat, by the way. Whenever someone sees a date they say they think of me and that’s a high honor.
I would also say LOTS of jewelry and strong eye makeup.
Where do you escape to when you need a creative reset?
My family home in California. I grew up in California and it’s always nice to go back to visit (even though I’ve lived in New York for 10 years next year and also consider it home)!
There is nothing like spending time with your family and loved ones to reset and ground you, no matter what you’re going through. Also, the energy in California is relaxed and chill, whereas New York makes everyone manic and crazy and sometimes it’s healthy to get away from that…
What’s something you loved ten years ago that now makes you cringe? What do you still stand by?
I really don’t know if this was ten years ago or longer, but I swear I will never put on another skinny jean ever again in my life. I still stand by chocolate covered stuffed dates being the best sweet treat, I’ve been making them for 10 years and don’t plan on stopping.
What newsletter or podcast do you actually consume every week?
I love my friend Emily Sundberg’s Feed Me, and both my dear friends Radhi Devlukia & Jay Shetty’s podcasts.
What’s the last tab open in your browser right now?
Le Creuset’s website, lol
What book changed your life or how you looked at the world?
I am obsessed with Gabor Maté and his work on trauma (light, relaxing topic, I know). His book, the Myth of Normal, is one of my favorite books I’ve ever read.
And lastly, who is your favorite tastemaker?
My friends and family! They’re the best part about me and I’m inspired by them everyday.
To keep up with Samah’s musings, subscribe to her newsletter, Up To Date, and be sure to follow her on Instagram and TikTok.
Know a tastemaker worth spotlighting or want to be featured yourself? Enlighten us here. 💌
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yay! <3
Jay Shetty's Pod--so good. I am never not sending the latest to all members of my family.