JUGAAD Sisters Inc. recently announced that their four-part docu-series Not Your Butter Chicken directed by Priyanka Desai (House Special) will be available to stream for free on CBC Gem starting Thursday, May 1st, 2025 as part of the Asian Heritage Month collection. The series celebrates the recipes, untold stories and life lessons of South Asians in Canada through the eyes of celebrated Vancouver culinary mind, Shiva Reddy.
Over the course of four episodes, Not Your Butter Chicken takes us from Vancouver to Kamloops and Kelowna, BC, and Lethbridge and Fort McMurray, Alberta, while host Shiva Reddy explores her culture with other South Asians to fill in the gaps that come with being a second-generation Canadian. Once a competitive hockey player, Reddy grew up to be one of the first South Asian women to make it in the world of wine and fine dining in Canada. Now, grappling with her mother’s battle with dementia, Reddy is on a journey to piece together the story of her Indian heritage through food and community.
“Everyone knows Butter Chicken, but not the culture that created it. The title is a playful invitation to discover all the ways Indian culture is more than this go-to dish,” says Reddy, who is also a sommelier at Michelin star restaurant Burdock & Co. in Vancouver.
“Because my mom is my connection to my Indian heritage, her dementia meant we were slowly forgetting our stories and recipes. For me, this show was a way to make new memories even as my mother was losing hers. For our viewers, I hope this show inspires you to collect the stories that mean the most to you.”
Viewers are invited to join this lively celebration of South Asian culture and make new memories alongside Reddy as she discovers the untold stories of Indo-Canadians in Western Canada. Through storytelling, sharing personal experiences and cooking with others, the series celebrates the unique traditions, history and unforgettable recipes of the South Asian diaspora in Canada and beyond. Special guests include broadcast journalist Meera Bains, professional hockey player Dampy Brar, Punjabi-Cree artist Madeson Singh and Reddy’s own mother who transitions to living in long term care during a very poignant and touching episode.
JUGAAD Sisters, Toronto’s Reel Asian Film Festival and the South Asian Canadian Film Federation have partnered for an Artist Talk Event on April 26th, 2025 for Not Your Butter Chicken where host Siva Reddy and director Priyanka Desai will be in Toronto to show clips and discuss the making of the series in celebration of the CBC launch. This event will be ticketed and will take place at Toronto Reel Asian International Film Festival Offices at 401 Richmond Street West.
Director Priyanka Desai is a Filmmaker and Television Producer from Mumbai, India, with credits on documentaries, feature films, series and reality TV shows. Starting as a Journalist, she has worked in a variety of roles spanning Story Producer, Field Director/Producer, Creative Supervisor and Executive Producer. Having worked across two continents, she has a meticulous understanding of different audiences and cultures. In Canada, her recent work includes the award-winning docu-series Red Chef Revival (Storyhive), Rolling With The Punches (AMI) and Moosemeat & Marmalade (APTN).
Not Your Butter Chicken is a TELUS original series produced and directed by Priyanka Desai, hosted by Shiva Reddy, produced by Joanna Wong, with cinematography by Richard Tran (Arthur Erickson: Beauty Between The Lines), and cinematography and editing by Lon Gross (Red Chef Revival), with sound design by Alvand Jalali (A Whitewater Romance).
For more information about Not Your Butter Chicken, tickets to the event and how to watch, please follow along at www.notyourbutterchicken.com and on Instagram at @notyourbutterchicken.
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