When the International Association of Culinary Professionals named Julie Sahni one of the three top cooking teachers in the world last year, veterans of Sahni's classes on the art of Indian cooking were hardly surprised. After all, the IACP's Award of Excellence was only the latest in a long string of honors and accolades for this extraordinarily gifted chef, teacher, cooking school entrepreneur, author, consultant, and all-around expert on the culinary secrets of the subcontinent.

Trained in architecture and in Indian ballet, Sahni also studied regional Indian cooking intensively for eight years, and she brings a finely honed aesthetic sensibility and an air of balance and grace to her culinary work. Her first book, Classic Indian Cooking (Morrow), established her as the accessible authority in the field (it's currently in its 25th printing). Her second, Classic Indian Vegetarian and Grain Cooking (Morrow), won the Glenfiddich Best Cookbook Award in 1988. Moghul Microwave (a must-have guide for time-pressed aficionados of Indian fare) and Savoring Spices and Herbs: Recipe Secrets of Flavor, Aroma, and Color followed, to widespread acclaim. Last year, Sahni published the comprehensive Julie Sahni's Introduction to Indian Cooking.

A tireless educator, Sahni has tutored novices and experts in the intricacies of Indian cuisine at cooking schools across the country. She's the founder and director of the Brooklyn-based Julie Sahni's School of Indian Cooking, and she has taught at Boston University, New York University, and the New School for Social Research. The subject of countless articles and television and radio features, she is also a regular contributor to such publications as The New York Times, Bon Appétit, and Food & Wine. Sahni has served as a consultant to a host of restaurants and culinary endeavors, and every year, she leads a handful of lucky culinarians on a gourmet tour of her native land. As the late John Clancy declared, "Julie Sahni is a master."