36 July 4 • 2019
jn
MICHAEL PEARCE JN INTERN
T
he JN recently talked to Matt
Daniels, owner and operator
of Nu Deli food truck, which
serves old-school Jewish-style food
with an Indian flair. During the win-
ter months, he and his girlfriend,
Meghana Shrivastava, own and oper-
ate Verandah, a seasonal restaurant
in Goa, India. They run the food
truck, Nu Deli, during the summer
in Michigan. Nu Deli is preparing to
launch a line of packaged food prod-
ucts this fall.
1. What inspired you to be a chef?
I’
m a chef? News to me! I think of
myself as someone who schleps, cooks
and has occasional flashes of insight.
I know that might sound disingenu-
ous, but I don’
t feel like a professional.
I have no culinary training so instead
I’
ve been feeling my way forward in
the food business with an experimen-
tal mindset.
2. How difficult was the decision
to change from a focus in graphic
design to the culinary arts?
When Meghana and I started on
our food journey, we had no clue
where it would lead us. Verandah
could easily have been a six-month
experiment after which we returned
to our media jobs in Mumbai. Instead,
the restaurant received such an enthu-
siastic response that we couldn’
t help
but keep it going. It was logistical
constraints — mainly the cost and
hassle of renting in Mumbai — that
forced us to look for another seasonal
venture to fill the other six months of
the year. A food truck turned out to
be a perfect fit.
Instead of a conscious decision to shift
focus, it was more like picking up one
foot, then picking up the other — and
suddenly we realized we were flying!
3. What role does your Jewish heri-
tage play in the food you create?
The food we serve at Nu Deli is a
unique fusion of old-school Jewish-
style deli standards and the exciting
Indian influences we love to share.
Initially, we conceived of the food
truck menu as familiar enough to my
mom that she’
d enjoy working with it,
yet novel enough to keep my itinerant
side engaged and interested. It was
only through contact with customers
that I understood Jewish standards like
corned beef or bagels and lox are also
Detroit favorites. By re-contextualizing
them, we’
re reaffirming the Jewish ori-
gins of food that’
s gone mainstream.
4. You have had a unique path
to becoming a restaurateur, from
Harvard to your home state operat-
ing food trucks, what has the journey
been like?
I’
m incredibly fortunate to have been
handed such a wide range of oppor-
tunities. I couldn’
t be more thankful
to my parents for putting me through
the education that made me who I
am. From fairly early on, I sensed that
my particular skills and talents made
a conventional career path unlikely.
It took much longer to find a way to
marry my creative drive to my other
interests — and make a living off of it.
I’
m grateful for the global range of
influences to which Harvard exposed
me. For much of college, I managed
to work for Let’
s Go, a travel guide
researched, written, edited and man-
aged entirely by Harvard students. I
got to see kids my age returning from
far-flung corners of the globe and
thought, why not go take a look?
I finally talked the editors into send-
ing me to India and the experience
was so eye-opening that I never looked
back. A job in book publishing in New
York and later teaching and practicing
graphic design in Mumbai sprang from
that seed. And I owe it to the restless
and bracing energy of Mumbai that
I got involved with food in the first
place.
At the same time, being part of the
Detroit diaspora kept me perpetually
curious about what was going on back
home. When I saw the chance to par-
ticipate in the resurgence of the city, I
leapt at it.
5. What is your goal as a restaura-
teur and chef?
I’
ll keep searching for accessible,
friendly formats to share influences
from East to West and back again.
Food is the best gateway there is for
opening minds to the unfamiliar. My
hope is that folks who try a Nu Deli
sandwich grow a little more tolerant as
people.
Not to get too self-aggrandizing; in
the end, a sandwich is just a sandwich.
At this moment, though, I feel it’
s
crucial that each of us — Jews no less
than others — do our part to build and
maintain a pluralistic society.
6. Who is your inspiration in life,
and what keeps you motivated?
My girlfriend, Meghana, keeps me
looking forward to a new discovery
every day. She’
s a whirlwind of energy
and enthusiasm. Ever since we met
four and a half years ago, we’
ve kept
each other on our toes.
My mom has always exemplified
hospitality and caring. Every Jewish
son says that, but she’
s exceptional.
She’
s also a model of productivity
and practicality. Hopefully, someday
she’
ll even learn how to sit down.
I have to mention my dad as well,
who’
s never unwilling to lend a hand.
I’
m lucky to be able to work along-
side them all! Together we’
ve created
something that’
s got legs. I’
m enthusi-
astic about Nu Deli’
s growth potential.
I’
m excited every day about opening
more eyes to something, ahem, Nu. ■
Southfield native Matt Daniels first traveled to India
in 1999 and spent most of the intervening years
in Mumbai as a graphic designer, teacher, sto-
ryteller, magazine writer and pop-up chef before
returning to Michigan in 2016 to launch Nu Deli.
Matt Daniels
The Nu Deli Food Truck parked in
Cadillac Square in Detroit
A Reuben sandwich from Nu Deli
PHOTOS VIA NU DELI’
S FACEBOOK
Schmoozing
with Matt Daniels
of Nu Deli
nosh