Khabar Magazine. October 2025 print.
Artisan mithai is more than just a sweet—it is a cultural ambassador, a luxury item, and a visual celebration of heritage.
When the leaves begin to turn, there’s a subtle indication in the air that the festival season is approaching. This time of the year, a natural, rhythmic inspiration arises within me to make homemade gulab jamuns, coconut laddoos, and carrot halva.
Back home in India, mithai was almost a part of our daily life, as we always had diamond-cut kaju katli, creamy yellow peda, or still-warm motichoor laddoo to welcome visitors. From morning puja to crowded living rooms, from the joy of passing an exam to celebrating a promotion—mithai sweetened nearly every moment of daily life in india. They were symbols of hospitality, prosperity, and togetherness, and were regularly exchanged between neighbors, colleagues, and relatives as a way of sweetening the meeting.
But here in the U.S., I have to labor for hours to enjoy a little piece of home. Alternatively, there is now a profusion of options to buy ready-made mithai, and this is where the humble desi mithai takes on a new, fancy avatar: burfi covered with 24-karat gold leaf, laddoos molded into spheres as glossy as glass marbles, fig rolls dusted with rose petals, or pistachio katli in hues as vivid as emeralds. And they can cost as much as $3 a piece!
The rise of artisan mithai—a marriage of India’s ancient sweets with the aesthetics of contemporary luxury—marks a generational shift in how South Asians in the diaspora choose to celebrate.
From Nostalgia to Novelty
Just as South Asian chefs and entrepreneurs are experimenting with fine chocolates and truffles, they are reimagining the classic Indian mithai they grew up with, preserving the essence of home and appealing to a modern palate. This new wave has distanced itself from the heavy syrups and sugar bombs of old. Instead, the focus is on clean presentation, subtle sweetness, and inventive use of flavors, often fusing regional inspirations—such as blueberry motichoor from the Bay Area, filter-coffee burfi reminiscent of South India, or fig and amaranth rolls drawing from Ayurvedic traditions. Mithai, once viewed as a rustic or nostalgic treat, is now positioned alongside fine pâtisserie and high-end confectionery.
Tagmo: A Chef’s Vision in New York
Few embody this shift more vividly than Chef Surbhi Sahni of Tagmo in New York. A veteran pastry chef, Sahni applies the discipline of French technique to the artistry of mithai, resulting in sweets that are as precise as they are flavorful. In her Diwali 2025 collection, almond-orange katli is cut into clean geometric diamonds, rose-coconut burfi is topped with a restrained drizzle of saffron, and laddoos are hand-rolled with a silken finish. Each piece appears to be a perfect fit for a gallery case.
Sahni emphasizes balance, offering less sugar and more flavor along with a variety of vegan and gluten-free options that cater to contemporary dietary needs. Yet for all their refinement, her sweets retain a familiar soul. A bite of pistachio burfi or a cashew-based katli tastes instantly like Diwali in Delhi or Mumbai.
Xari Foods: The Bay Area’s Experimentation
On the other end of the spectrum lies Xari Foods by Jalsa, a Bay Area confectioner that treats mithai as a canvas for playful experimentation. Their boutique 18-piece mithai collection is as likely to include a Biscoff burfi or blueberry motichoor as it is a traditional kaju roll. Filter-coffee burfi is their nod to South India, while pecan-studded laddoos reflect California’s agricultural bounty. This blend of regional authenticity and Californian creativity has found a devoted following among younger South Asians who crave both nostalgia and novelty in one bite.
The flavors of Xari are genuinely unique, and the presentation looks like a work of art—think minimalist trays, artisanal wrapping, and curated assortments designed for dinner parties where mithai can share the table with cheese boards and wine flights. At my home, this is a hit every time!
The New Visual Language
What unites all these brands is their attention to visual storytelling. Mithai is no longer just a sweet but an edible piece of art. Boxes open like stage curtains, revealing perfectly aligned rows of burfi with jewel-like glazes. The elaborate packaging itself has become an integral part of the gift.
And why shouldn’t mithai enter the same category as wine or artisanal chocolates: a luxury consumable that signals thoughtfulness and taste? As Indian flavors gain mainstream acceptance—turmeric lattes, chai spice, ghee as a superfood—mithai makers see an opportunity to bring their heritage sweets into the American gourmet conversation. Even American luxury retailers like Williams-Sonoma are offering Diwali assorted sweets, along with artisanal Mediterranean-style delights.
Mithai is no longer a mere sweet—it is a cultural ambassador, a luxury object, and a visual celebration of heritage.