Archive · 11 Aug 2026
Indian-Origin Educator Suman Shah Named Boston Public Library Chef-in-Residence
An educator named Suman Shah is a new 'Chef-in-Residence' at the Boston Public Library.
She will teach people how to cook and eat healthy foods for free.
She will work at a branch called the Shaw Roxbury Branch.
Her programmes are about how food and sharing meals bring people together.
The theme of her year is called 'How We Gather'.
Suman grew up in Bihar, India, and later moved to Boston.
She has taught cooking to hundreds of students for eight years.
She also started her own company that makes spice blends and vegetarian meal kits.
The library's Nutrition Lab has free cooking classes for everyone.
People can even book a special one-on-one video chat with her to plan meals.
Indian-origin culinary educator and spice entrepreneur Suman Shah has been named the new Chef-in-Residence at the Boston Public Library's Nutrition Lab.
Shah will lead a year of free cooking and nutrition programmes at the Shaw Roxbury Branch, focusing on how food brings people together.
Her programmes will be centred on the theme 'How We Gather' and include demonstrations, hands-on classes, and virtual one-on-one 'Gathering Guidance' sessions.
Shah is the third Chef-in-Residence, following Glorya Fernandez in 2024 and Kayla Tabb in 2025.
The Nutrition Lab, launched in 2021, offers free culinary workshops, and the initiative is funded by a grant from anonymous donors to the Boston Public Library Fund.
- Who
- Suman Shah, an Indian-origin culinary educator, spice entrepreneur and founder of Fork On a Road, was selected by the Boston Public Library, whose Nutritional Literacy Coordinator Stephanie Chace praised her work.
- What
- Shah was named the third Chef-in-Residence at the Boston Public Library's Nutrition Lab, where she will lead a year of free cooking and nutrition programmes centred on the theme 'How We Gather'.
- When
- The articles do not state a specific announcement date; the residency will run for one year.
- Where
- The Boston Public Library's Nutrition Lab at the Shaw Roxbury Branch in Boston; Shah's journey also spans her hometown in Bihar, Bombay and Boston.
- Why
- To expand the library's community cooking programmes, promote nutritional literacy, and explore how food, storytelling, culture and shared meals build community and connection.
- New Chef-in-Residence
- Suman Shah
- Location
- Boston Public Library's Nutrition Lab, Shaw Roxbury Branch
- Programme Theme
- How We Gather
- Residency Duration
- One year of free cooking and nutrition programmes
- Predecessors
- Glorya Fernandez (2024), Kayla Tabb (2025)
- Nutrition Lab Launched
- 2021
- Company
- Fork On a Road - Ayurvedic-inspired spice blends and vegetarian meal kits
- Funding
- Grant from anonymous donors to the Boston Public Library Fund