Our story

Started with something simple: a village.

Hi, I’m Joy! 👋🏽

I started Masala Mamas because, after becoming a mom, I found myself craving a kind of connection I didn’t quite know how to name at first.

I’ve been incredibly lucky to have wonderful friends, but many of my closest friends were either far from San Francisco or simply in a different season of life. And once I was raising a little one, I realized how much I wanted people nearby who understood not just the everyday parts of mamahood, but also some of the layers that come with raising children with a connection to Indian culture.

The food and festivals, yes—but also the languages, family dynamics, traditions, expectations, contradictions, nostalgia, and all the little choices we make about what we hold onto, what we let go of, and what we create differently for our own families.

I wanted to meet mamas who might understand some of that without needing a long explanation. And at the same time, I wanted there to be room for all the ways our experiences can be different.

Because there isn’t one way to be connected to India. There isn’t one way to raise Indian kids. And there isn’t one version of the culture we all share.

Some of us grew up in India, some didn’t. Some speak an Indian language at home, some are trying to teach one, and some are still figuring out what connection to culture looks like for their family. Some of us hold certain traditions close; others are creating entirely new ones.

All of that belongs here.

And maybe most of all, I wanted our little ones to grow up around other families who shared at least some of these threads—to feel that sense of familiarity, community, and belonging in their own way.

That’s really where Masala Mamas began. 💛

Today, it’s a community for mamas raising little ones with a connection to Indian culture—through food, festivals, languages, traditions, friendships, and belonging. 🇮🇳

There’s no right way to belong here.

No expectations. No perfect parenting. No need to show up a certain way. Just a place to find your people, share what you know, ask what you don’t, and hopefully make mamahood feel a little less lonely and a little more connected.

I’m really glad you found us.

— Joy