Ayurvedic Chef, Educator & Co-Founder of Bhagavat Life and Divya’s Kitchen

Divya Alter is an Ayurvedic chef, educator, and co-founder of Bhagavat Life and Divya’s Kitchen, an Ayurvedic restaurant in Manhattan.

With over 35 years of experience studying, practicing, and teaching vegetarian cooking and Ayurveda, Divya brings a deeply rooted and integrative approach to food and healing.

Her work is centered on the principle of food as medicine—using ingredients, cooking methods, and food combinations to support digestion, restore balance, and promote overall well-being. She bridges traditional wisdom with modern life, making Ayurveda practical, accessible, and relevant through everyday cooking.

Divya is the author of two cookbooks, What to Eat for How You Feel and Joy of Balance, and the creator of the nation’s first Ayurvedic Nutrition and Culinary Training.

Ayurvedic Practitioner, Chef & Educator

Richard LaMarita is a twenty-five year chef-instructor for the world-renowned plant-based culinary program at the Natural Gourmet Institute in New York City. Among his famed vegetarian and vegan cooking, he specializes in Indian, Italian, and Ayurvedic cuisine. He is a graduate of the Institute of Culinary Education in New York City, having completed the Culinary Arts and Culinary Management Program in 2004. He also studied with Vedic and Ayurvedic master Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. For thirty-five years, Richard has been a practitioner and teacher of Ayurveda, and he has led seminars throughout the US, Europe, and Asia, including topics such as the Ayurvedic diet, cooking, yoga, and meditation.