From Michelin-star kitchens to her own food venture

PETALING JAYA: Long before she stepped into the kitchen of a Michelin-starred restaurant in New York, Darshana Darmalinggam was a little girl in Kuala Pilah, Negeri Sembilan, helping her father chop vegetables at home.

Growing up in a vegetarian household, cooking was part of everyday life.

“It was very difficult to find vegetarian food in Kuala Pilah back then,” the 29-year-old told FMT Lifestyle. “So I always brought home-cooked meals to school.”

Both her parents were schoolteachers who shared cooking duties. Her mother, Shanti Raman, specialised in Kerala cuisine, while her father, Darmalinggam Manickam, gravitated towards Malaysian dishes.

“When my mum was away, my dad would put me on the kitchen counter and I’d watch him cook,” she recalled fondly.

She started helping out in the kitchen at age four and, by the time she was 13, was preparing full meals for her family.

Even from young, Darshana knew she wanted a future in the food and beverage industry. “My dream was always to have a chain of restaurants,” she said.

To that end, she took the practical route by studying finance, accounting and management to better understand how to run a business.

Her dream began to take shape in 2021 when she launched DD’s Veggie Delights, a home-based catering business. As demand was high during the pandemic, the venture became a family effort.

The menu featured homely favourites such as tofu sambal and nasi lemak, alongside her own creations such as burritos, mushroom biryani, paneer butter masala and tofu rendang.

“My dad’s banana chips and mango pickle were bestsellers,” she added.

Even as the business gained traction, Darshana wanted to sharpen her culinary skills and enrolled at the Culinary Arts Academy Switzerland.

Her parents were supportive: while she studied abroad, they continued running the business back home. Darshana remained involved remotely, primarily through social media marketing.

After graduating with a diploma in 2023, she secured a one-year paid internship in the United States, a defining chapter in her journey.

Darshana joined Eleven Madison Park in New York, the renowned three-Michelin-star restaurant that was known for its plant-based menu at the time.

“Walking into that big kitchen was a dream come true,” she recalled.

Her first success was a radish salad that impressed the team and helped secure her place in the programme. But life in a world-class fine-dining kitchen came with its challenges.

“I was working six days a week, which was exhausting,” she confessed. And although she valued the experience, Darshana soon realised the environment was not where she saw herself long-term.

She later moved to Planta, a Asian-inspired plant-based restaurant in New York, where she found a better balance.

“That felt like home,” she acknowledged. “Within four months, I received the best employee award.”

Sadly, her time there was cut short when her visa expired, forcing her to return to Malaysia in 2024. Coming back home, she said in reflection, was not easy: “I was at a real low.”

She later took on an administrative role in the Klang Valley, but it did not take long for her to realise that her heart remained in the kitchen.

Last year, she returned to her culinary roots and rebranded her business as DD’s Kind Craves, offering wholesome vegetarian food that people would genuinely enjoy eating.

“Not all vegetarian food is healthy. A lot of it is processed mock meat, deep-fried, or loaded with sugar and MSG,” she noted. “Plus, healthier food is often too expensive. I wanted to change that.”

DD’s Kind Craves focuses on home-style vegetarian dishes made with carefully selected ingredients. Instead of refined sugar, for instance, Darshana uses alternatives such as dates, honey and gula Melaka.

She began with a kiosk at Megah Rise Mall in Petaling Jaya, selling healthy cookies and cakes. These days, she is best known for her signature nasi lemak, which she prepares every Friday, sometimes delivering orders herself.

Her offerings also include artisan granola, pure almond butter, frozen curry puffs and other homemade products.

In addition, she recently launched DD’s Table, an intimate private-dining experience featuring customised vegetarian and vegan menus for small gatherings.

And although she has to work part-time to grow the business, she has no regrets about the path she has chosen.

“When customers say it tastes like homemade food, that’s the best compliment,” she said. “I’m very happy with where I’ve ended up, and I’m excited to continue growing DD’s Kind Craves.”

Learn more about DD’s Kind Craves here and on Instagram.