A girl in search of her dream discovered a country within herself ...

Ali Peter John

Citta Comida - Food for your Mind and Soul, is my brainchild. But before I get to explaining what the brand is all about in detail, I would like to say a few, well too many lines about my journey to satiety…

As a business student in NM college, Mumbai I saw my classmates preparing for CA or CPT

exams or just scoring to get into NMIMS. I knew it was a rat race and I did not want to join it. So, I joined another one! My parents supported me, and I joined a university in the UK. I did my Bachelor’s in Business Management and Entrepreneurship from Nottingham Trent University. Those are the three years I will always cherish. I tried dipping my toes in French and German languages as an extracurricular but in vain it was hard for me to my find my footing there.

Thankfully during this time, I found solace in cooking and baking in my tiny apartment for my dorm friends. Whipping up a scorching hot ‘khichdi’ on Facetime with my mum was all I looked forward to in the week. After giving my finals in 2017, even before my results were in, I left for London which is where I studied a short course of Screen Acting at “Actor’s Centre”. As I was returning to my apartment, I had made up my mind to definitely join Anupam Kher’s Actor Prepares, one of the finest acting school in Mumbai offering a part time course at that time.

Soon after that I went to a small town in Himachal Pradesh called Baddi for an HR/’Learn everything and come back please!’ internship with Vardhaman Textiles. While those were the most intensive 60 days of my life, I knew that wasn’t what I wanted to do. I was still trying to understand myself. I loved portraying characters, making good food, sharing my life with my family and friends. I was a typical student growing out of her teenage years going into what you adults call “Life”!

See, the thing is no matter how far you pull away from what you love, it will pull you closer with a much greater force towards itself.

So here I am sipping on my coffee chipping on my fries when I get a call from Actor Prepares. I was offered to join their core team for their kids’ workshops. Ooo did I mention I love kids! So I instantly said a big yippie, I mean yes. Actor Prepares now became my AP. Suddenly, work didn’t seem like work.

And it was a smooth ride which was preparing me to get onto the right track or so I thought. A family commitment came in the way and I started going rounds from the hospital, AP, and home. Soon work took a backseat. I tried my hands at auditioning, in and out of casting houses. It was the journey of auditioning, of waiting, of listening, learning and of acting that was vital for my journey outside the acting world.

As an overweight child, as an overweight teen, and as an overweight adult I decided that the two utmost priorities were now going to be workouts and my dad’s office. I got on track, trimmed down my physique, got my head straight but the cravings for sweets and ‘masaledaar khana’ was on peak. There wasn’t any healthy food easily available at a decent rate. Which is when I decided to satiate those cravings by baking and cooking for myself. Coming to think of it now, it felt like Nottigham all over again, but only better. Why you may ask, I had my family to share it with. From Thin & Dry Protein Chikkis to Chai Biscoot Cupcakes my brainchild was born- Citta Comida.

Citta in Sanskrit is “Chitt” meaning Mind and Comida in Spanish (one foreign language I will definitely learn in this life) is Food. Citta Comida started out in August 2020, today we are in November and my efforts remain to convince people in Mumbai that Healthy Food can be tasty and yummy and available at a reasonable price. From Gluten Free, to Vegan, to Wholewheat I have got it all covered. Let your mind and soul satiate their needs.