Mango Bites 🥭

If you’re new here, welcome to Mango Bites - a newsletter featuring the best South Asian professional events happening in NYC. Reply and say hi!

Hot take: My favorite Indian restaurant in NYC rhymes with Panyapumari - fight me

If there’s one thing Desis are proudly opinionated about, it’s food. And for good reason - Indian cuisine is wildly diverse. It’s almost impossible to capture it all in one sitting... but this Indian Independence Day, we’re going to try.

Us and our friend Shivam Desai have teamed up with Chef Abhishek at Madam Ji and booked out the entire restaurant for a special Mango experience: a chef-led tasting menu that takes you on a culinary tour across India 🇮🇳🍽️

This menu isn’t on the regular rotation - it’s an exclusive experience crafted just for us. Chef Abhishek will walk us through each course, breaking down the regional roots and inspirations behind every bite. We’re also sticking around for an afterparty with drinks, music, and good company.

We just dropped 50 tickets - includes the full tasting menu, afterparty access, a cocktail (if you choose), and maybe even a complimentary beer or two from our partners 🍻

P.S. For this one, we encourage you to bring a non-South Asian friend. It’s the perfect way to introduce someone to the depth of Indian food and show them what we’re all about 😄

👉 Register here: https://lu.ma/hwsnq5fl

Upcoming Mango Events 🎇

Register at the links below! 

• A Culinary Tour of India 🇮🇳 (8/15) - An exclusive tasting menu taking you through the breadth of Indian food. Bring a non-South Asian friend!

• The Vada Pav Project Drop #2 (9/6) - Loooove vada pavs but wish they were more of a thing in NYC? (this is a side project I’m working on!)

The Scene 🪔

Other South Asian events I’m keeping an eye on in NYC

Cool Desis Doing Cool Things 🐘

Highlighting people in our community making strides in diverse fields!

 Manav Vaghashiya is an entrepreneur and founder of Víya, a South Asian-American jewelry brand. He leads with passion and vision, building on his family’s legacy in the diamond and jewelry industry. Manav merges a rich heritage with modern creativity, shaping Víya into a standout brand that represents both cultural pride and entrepreneurial innovation.

Why do you do what you do?
Pride, heritage, and legacy drive me. Although I’ve always loved space and chose aerospace engineering at Purdue University, my father’s passing during my junior year changed everything. He had built a multinational B2B supply chain in the diamond and jewelry sector, from Surat, Gujarat—where 90% of the world’s diamonds are cut—to our office in NYC’s Diamond District. At 21, fresh out of college, I suddenly found myself leading this business I barely knew, learning everything on the job. Víya started as a passion project and has since grown into a legacy brand, honoring my father’s foundation while showcasing our heritage and South Asian-American identity.

What does your Desi identity mean to you, and how has it influenced your journey?
 It’s wild, but I speak more Gujarati and Hindi at work than English! This industry, so deeply rooted in our culture, has made me incredibly proud of my Desi identity. Being able to honor it daily—through language, tradition, and business—has been a major influence on my journey.

What advice do you have for those entering your field?
Success loves preparation. That said, just start—don’t wait for the “right” moment. You’ll learn and figure things out along the way.

Manav’s favs 🌟 
🎬 Bollywood Movie: Taare Zameen Par
🍛 Desi Eats: Dosa
🌶️ NYC Restaurant: Dosa Delight

Meme Bazaar 👳🏽‍♀️

Random Stuff 💃

• Mango Resume Drop - if you’re looking to make a career switch!

• Love what Mango is doing? 🥭 Buy us a coffee - any support would go a long way and let us keep hosting events!

• Want to sponsor an event or host something with me? Get in touch!

• Have a friend who’d want to be on this newsletter? Sign up for Mango Bites here!