Raghenie Bhawanie

(Leeuwarden) is a culinary journalist, columnist, and cookbook author. She grew up in a Hindustani family where the Surinamese kitchen, shaped by influences from India, Asia, Africa, and China, played a central role. This background forms the foundation of her work. In 2024, she made her debut with the highly praised cookbook Madame Jeanette, featuring over a hundred surprisingly accessible Surinamese dishes with a kick. She is a regular guest on Villa VdB on Radio 1 and writes as a journalist and columnist for Het Parool, where she also published the essay The Roots of Roti. In addition to her work as a writer and recipe developer, Raghenie is active as a program maker. She sees food as a powerful tool for storytelling and building bridges.