A dozen South Asian women are making waves in Atlanta’s thriving food and beverage scene. They’re building from scratch, taking the risk to become founders, and believing in products that are a strong representation of their roots. Knowing each of their stories individually, Sucheta Rawal, an award-winning food and travel writer and three-time TEDx speaker, decided it was time to bring all of them together into a collective that helps them talk business, quite literally.
Over the years, as a journalist, Sucheta came across these women one by one, telling their stories because she believed each of them had something worth sharing.
That belief became a plan in April 2026, when Sucheta invited them to her house for lunch, where she announced her vision for a collective called Saffron Circle. The aim was to provide support, visibility and a safe space to deliberate on everything business, and the idea resonated fast. The pull was instant, toward Sucheta’s idea, and toward each other.
A League of Their Own …