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