This is the second part of a two-part Chef Chat series. If you missed our previous post, you can read it here.

Yesterday, in our chat with Deepak Doshi of Doshi House, we talked about his vegetarianism and growing up in the area of Houston called Alief. Today we talk about his food, about the time he spent in the corporate world in Dubai, and what made him change that life to open up the community space that is Doshi House today.

EOW: Where are you from?

DD: I'm of Indian heritage, from Gujarat.

EOW: What kind of food is associated with that area?

DD: Hmm, so a lot of simple foods. It's not really mainstream restaurant food. A lot of time you get subzi -- it's like a stir-fry of mixed vegetables. So, generally, in a meal, you have your dal, which is the lentil; you're gonna have a bread, you're gonna have some rice. You might have some roti -- a type of bread -- and then you're going to have subzi, which is your vegetables. There's meat subzis, too, but in Gujarat, it's predominantly a vegetarian lifestyle. A lot of the history comes from the state of Gujarat. The way it evolved had a lot do with Mahatma Gandhi. He was from Gujarat; he practiced vegetarianism.

EOW: Tell me about the food that you serve here. You have coffee, sandwiches, you do the vegetarian dinners. Tell me how you came up with the sandwich you call Mumbai Nights.