Binding Agents: A Cook/Book Shop
908 Christian StreetFounded in 2017, Diaspora Spice Co. is the queer and woman-of-color-owned company reshaping the global spice trade through direct partnerships with over 150 regenerative farms. Founder and CEO Sana Javery Kadri and co-author Asha Loupy brought that same mission to the Diaspora Spice Co. Cookbook, blending personal storytelling, cultural history, and accessible, California-inspired cooking.
Join Sana and Asha at Binding Agents for a wide-ranging conversation on their new book—spices, sourcing, cooking, eating, and storytelling—moderated by Philadelphia Inquirer Food Editor Margaret Eby (You Gotta Eat).
Guests may choose a ticket with or without a copy of the book. Prices are inclusive of fees. Entrance to the shop requires one step up. Please contact us at hello@bindingagentsphilly.com with any questions or accessibility needs; we'd be happy to help.
ABOUT THE BOOK
From Diaspora Spice Co., the progressive spice company rooted in flavor and equity, comes a cookbook celebrating beautiful, simple, and seasonal cooking with 85 recipes adapted from India and Sri Lanka’s best family spice farms.
Diaspora Spice Co. sources the most flavorful, fresh spices in the world from 150 regenerative farms across South Asia—from elders, indigenous communities, young changemakers, and brilliant multi-generational farming families across India and Sri Lanka who are leading the way in sustainable and climate change–resistant agriculture. Filled with culinary storytelling, The Diaspora Spice Co. Cookbook highlights these farmers and their spices with profiles and evocative photography, plus 85 recipes for simple, seasonal, and powerfully delicious meals.
CEO and founder Sana Javeri Kadri and recipe writer Asha Loupy realized that eating with the people who grow our spices unveils a whole new dimension in our cooking. For instance, the Mir family, who works all year to grow and harvest their saffron, shared not only their technique for blooming the vibrant spice and how to make sure every thread is fully utilized, but their unforgettably delicious dishes. Adapted for a global pantry, these recipes share the warmth of true South Asian home cooking at its truest and tastiest, starting with chutneys & pickles, snacks, and veggies, traveling through to mains from the sea and from the land, rice and breads, and ending with drinks and desserts.
Sana and Asha also note which recipes are the most beginner friendly, freezer friendly, good for a dinner party menu (like a Diwali feast!), and which lend themselves to be pantry building blocks, all for a super easy-to-navigate cookbook.
This incredibly fresh, beautifully photographed, powerful collection is a celebration of these farming families, their precious harvests, and how they season recipes with big flavor.
ABOUT SANA JAVERY KADRI
Sana Javeri Kadri is the founder and CEO of Diaspora Co., a farm-to-table spice company that puts equity, transparency, and high-quality products at its forefront. Sana founded the company in 2017 with just a turmeric blend; now her company sources 30 single origin spices from across 150 farms across India and Sri Lanka. A third-generation native of Mumbai, she now lives in Oakland, California.
ABOUT ASHA LOUPY
Asha Loupy is a recipe developer and writer with more than a decade of experience in the specialty food industry, from cheese monger to grocery buyer and e-commerce manager. She’s written for Bon Appétit, Food52, Epicurious, and more. She’s based in Oakland, California.
ABOUT MARGARET EBY
Margaret Eby is the food editor for the Philadelphia Inquirer. She has written for the New York Review of Books, Rolling Stone, Vanity Fair, Bon Appétit, the New Yorker, the New York Times, and the Los Angeles Times, among other publications. She is the author of South Toward Home: Travels in Southern Literature (Norton, 2015) and You Gotta Eat (Quirk, 2024). Margaret completed a certificate program at the International Culinary Center in 2019.
Sun, Mar 29, 2026 4:30 PM - 6:30 PM
Binding Agents: A Cook/Book Shop
908 Christian Street
Binding Agents is Philly's bookshop for cooks and eaters. Located in South Philly’s culinary epicenter, the 9th Street Italian Market, we’re your go-to source for new cookbooks and food-focused reads, plus gifts and goods for making, serving and enjoying. We’re independent, women-owned, fun & funky. Learn more at bindingagentsphilly.com.
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