Meet Afsari

Afsari was born in the Bangladeshi city of Rajshahi, known historically for its production of silk and delicious mango. She spent decades working in the garment industry, first as a merchandiser in Dhaka and later in Manhattan’s famous garment district. 

It’s fitting that Afsari approaches cooking like an art form—she believes the way food looks is as important as it tastes, which becomes apparent in the careful way she plates each and every dish. According to Afsari, the visual appeal of the meal is as important as the taste! 

Afsari grew up watching her mother cook, but she herself didn’t learn to cook until she and her husband and young son moved to Singapore and she had to cook everything herself. She then taught herself how to cook through trial and error and many phone calls to her mother in Bangladesh. 

In 2000, Afsari and her family moved to New York City, where she now regularly caters parties and large events, and even won a recipe competition with her delicious rice pudding! Afsari now lives in Bay Bridge, Brooklyn and has one grown son and two grandchildren. 

When asked what she likes about teaching for League of Kitchens, Afsari shared, “I love to teach for the League of Kitchens because I love people. And the League of Kitchens gives me the opportunity to meet different groups of people from different parts of the world and different cultures. I also love learning from my students.” 

Afsari’s incredible cooking has been featured by the New York Times, Taste, ABC News, and Tasting Table.