How a tiny apartment kitchen, a love for my South Asian flavors, and one unexpected idea became Knead Some Love NY.
Some businesses begin with a detailed plan. Knead Some Love NY began with $175, a second-hand mixer from Facebook Marketplace, and a tiny apartment kitchen.
I’m Priyanka, the founder and baker behind Knead Some Love NY. I was born in Mumbai, raised around bold flavors and the kind of sweets that are woven into celebrations, family gatherings and everyday memories. But before there were donuts, dessert tables and thousands of boxes leaving my kitchen, I was on a very different path.
From designing Buildings to designing Donuts
I studied architecture and began my career believing that was where my future would be. About six months in, I realized I wanted to build something of my own.
During the pandemic, like so many people, I found myself spending more time in the kitchen. I started experimenting with desserts, but I kept coming back to the flavors I grew up with—ras malai, gulab jamun, mango lassi, rose, pistachio, saffron, chai.
I loved these flavors. But I wanted to experience them differently. What if the flavors of the mithai we grew up loving could be reimagined in an entirely unexpected form?
I started experimenting. Not with traditional fried donuts, but with baked donuts—lighter, handcrafted canvases for the flavors and memories I wanted to bring to life.
Ras Malai Rabdi became a donut. Mango Lassi became a donut. Gulab Jamun, Rose Pistachio, Masala Chai and Kesar Thandai found their way into glazes, creams, toppings and textures.
It wasn't about putting an Indian ingredient on an American dessert and calling it fusion. I wanted each flavor to feel familiar enough to spark nostalgia, but unexpected enough to make you stop after the first bite.
Familiar, reimagined.
That idea still sits at the heart of everything we make. Starting with $175. There was no commercial kitchen. No big investment. No team.
Just $175 and a second-hand mixer.
I baked from my apartment kitchen, tested recipes, packed orders and slowly began sharing what I was creating. One order became another. One celebration became another.
And somewhere along the way, what started as an experiment became a business.
Knead Some Love NY grew beyond my kitchen and into weddings, corporate celebrations, brand activations, Diwali gifting, private events and dessert tables across New York and beyond. But the intention behind every donut remained the same.
More Than a Donut
For me, Knead Some Love has never really been about making donuts. It's about taking the flavors many of us grew up with and giving them a new stage.
It’s about someone biting into a Mango Lassi donut and immediately recognizing that familiar tang of mango and yogurt. It’s about seeing Ras Malai or Gulab Jamun at a wedding—not in the form guests expect, but transformed into something entirely new.
And it’s about introducing someone to South Asian flavors for the very first time through a dessert they already recognize.
There is something incredibly special about watching both of those reactions happen at the same table.
From a Tiny Kitchen to Celebrations of Every Size
Today, Knead Some Love NY creates handcrafted desserts for everything from intimate gifts to weddings, corporate events, brand partnerships and celebrations serving thousands of guests.
We still bake in small batches. We still obsess over the details.
And we still believe dessert should be one of the things people remember after the celebration is over. Because while the business has grown, the reason I started hasn't changed:
To take the South Asian flavors I love and turn them into something familiar, unexpected and entirely our own.
And to think—it all started with $175 and a second-hand mixer.
With love,
Priyanka
Founder, Knead Some Love NY
