Aarti Sequeira: Party with Aarti

Aarti Sequeira has cooked up quite a career. Sequeira (J00) became a reality TV star in August, when she beat out the competition to win The Next Food Network Star. Her six-episode cooking show, Aarti Party, debuted the following week, showcasing her energetic style and ability to blend exotic Indian flavors into American classics. The Food Network renewed the show for a second season, which premieres in December. Sequeira is no stranger to the camera. Born in Mumbai, India, and raised in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Sequeira became a producer for CNN in Chicago and then New York City after graduating from Northwestern. She covered 9/11 and produced a documentary about the conflict in Darfur. When journalism wasn’t satisfying her hunger for adventure, she knew cooking would do the trick. She enrolled in the New School of Cooking and launched her food blog, AartiPaarti.com, and a YouTube cooking show — including variety segments with Sequeira on the ukulele or belly dancing and juggling — filmed by her husband, Brendan McNamara (C00), in their Los Angeles home. — Kira Lerner (J11)