It’s essential to shift our eating patterns with the changing seasons, and the transition from spring to summer can be a tricky one. That’s because as the temperatures rise, you may be noticing that your appetite decreases—you may feel hot and sweaty, yet not so hungry. This is where food choices can get complicated especially with seasonings and flavors we use, because spices that enhance our digestion (ginger, chiles, mustard seeds), typically increase body heat.

In this online class, I will teach you how to manage a high-Pitta, low-agni situation with simple and light dishes that will leave you feeling balanced and nourished during the joyous summer months. 

 

In the cooking class, you will learn:

  • Apply the basic Ayurveda principles of summer cooking

  • Prepare 5 easy recipes to a make delicious, colorful, nutrient-rich meal

  • Create personalized variations using the base recipes

  • Decide which ingredients are best for YOU to stay balanced in the summer

  • Harness the healing benefits of the ingredients and spices used in the recipes

Menu

SUMMER CURRY (AVIYAL)

HERBED RICE PILAF

COOLING MUNG DAL SOUP

CILANTRO ALMOND CHUTNEY

SEASONAL LEAFY GREENS (SEVERAL VARIATIONS)

 *THESE ARE ALL GLUTEN-FREE RECIPES WITH VEGAN OPTIONS

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Registration

Regular price: $75

Early-Bird price: $49

*The Early Bird discount is available until Monday, June 23, 2025.

Date

Monday, June 30th, 2025

4:00 - 6:00 pm ET

Online Class, hosted on Zoom

 
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About the Teacher

 
 
Faculty
Divya Alter
Divya Alter

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.

Rich LaMarita
Rich LaMarita

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.

 
 
 
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