I found out about food photographer Nik Sharma’s food blog A Brown Table thanks to KQED Arts. Sharma started his food blog in 2011, and he has steadily built up a following for his work, with over 32,000 followers on Instagram right now. His visually stunning work has received recognition and awards. Along the way he gave up a job as a molecular biologist to pursue his dream of being a chef.

On his blog Sharma writes about some of the cultural influences on his recipes, including growing up in India and in the U.S. with parents from different parts of India. He also describes his inspirations as very non-traditional. As he explains in this interview:

I feel like I’m on the fence, halfway between both [cultures]. I want to tell people that there’s a lot more than curries and naan to Indian food. You can make a pasta with curry. You can make great desserts with Indian ingredients. It’s fun to do.

Part of what makes Sharma’s work stand out is his personal style of photography and putting his own brown hands in the photos:

A Brown Table stands out not just for its recipes, but its dark and moody photography. Sharma’s colorful dishes are usually draped in shadow, and his hands, often in motion, are captured in the frame. These choices lend Sharma’s images a living, breathing quality, and — to his surprise — have been a source of inspiration to readers of color. “They just say that it’s really nice to see a hand of color, because you rarely get to see that these days in the food blogging world,” Sharma said.

For more on the delectable food dramatically photographed by Sharma, check out his recipes linked below and head over to A Brown Table.

Masala Chai Carrot Cake

It’s time for me to start thinking about birthday cakes, I’ve added the masala (spices) and the chai (tea) to this Carrot Cake from @testkitchen and layered it with a pistachio cream cheese frosting. Recipe on the blog. #food #foodphotography #foodstyling #vsco #vscocam

A photo posted by Nik Sharma (@abrowntable) on Apr 22, 2015 at 4:44am PDT

Carrot Halva Ice Cream

Carrot halva ice cream happened and it’s insanely good! Recipe link in profile. #food #foodphotography #foodstyling #vsco #vscocam A photo posted by Nik Sharma (@abrowntable) on Mar 26, 2015 at 5:24am PDT

Breakfast Naan Skillet Pizza With Mustard Greens and Paneer

If I get my act together I’ll have this new deconstructed/reconstructed Indian inspired breakfast post on the blog tomorrow. #food #foodphotography #foodstyling #vsco #vscocam #savblogawards

A photo posted by Nik Sharma (@abrowntable) on Mar 11, 2015 at 6:14pm PDT

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