For Jyoti Tewani, the kitchen has always been her chemistry lab.
Long before she opened Root 2 Rise in Pleasantville and later in Larchmont, Jyoti was a young girl in India, growing up in the 1970s and early ’80s, watching her mother cook with intuition, love, and bold experimentation. Her mother, she says, was her greatest influence – always ready to cook at any hour, always willing to try something new, and always creating food that was unforgettable.
Cooking for her own family became second nature. But it wasn’t until she attended nutrition school that everything clicked. She began learning what food truly does inside the body – how ingredients impact energy, inflammation, and long-term health. The more she understood, the more she questioned the growing presence of packaged foods and added sugars.
“Why does pizza sauce need sugar?” she remembers wondering. “Why are there so many extra calories in bread?”
She didn’t feel comfortable eating at many restaurants because she could taste the additives. It made her feel, as she puts it, “icky.” She wanted to break free from that norm and help her community do the same.
That calling became Root 2 Rise.
The name itself holds deep meaning. In a yoga class, she once heard the phrase, “One day it will be a root to rise,” and it stayed with her. To her, it means you must root yourself in pride, in purpose, in integrity before you can rise. That philosophy guides everything she does.
When she opened her first location in Pleasantville nearly five years ago, she admits she had no idea what she was doing when it came to running a café. “I was fumbling through things, trying to find my way,” she says. Family support, especially from her husband, carried her through. Opening her Larchmont location was smoother, backed by experience and confidence. Today, she also operates a wholesale kitchen in Tarrytown, preparing meals for schools, churches, and local cafés.
Her customer base is made up of people actively seeking clean, healthier options: no seed oils, only pure olive oil, organic ingredients, fresh herbs, and balanced spices. “Eating three times a day should be healthy and clean,” she says. “Calories should be working for you – not you working for calories.”
Her famous Chai Ginger Tea with oat milk has become a customer favorite, as has her Chocolate Muffin made with cocoa powder and buckwheat – and no eggs! The Thai Crunch Salad and Chai Pudding shine in Spring, while her 5,000-year-old Kichadi Soup – rooted in Eastern medicine with fennel, mustard seeds, turmeric, and fiber-rich ingredients – remains a year-round staple known for its detoxifying properties.
She refuses to freeze her food, believing it disrupts the cellular structure. If soup runs out, it runs out. Everything is kept sealed until ordered to ensure peak freshness. Freshness matters that much.
Still, the journey hasn’t been without challenges. At five feet tall, she says some people underestimated her. She felt judged and questioned whether she could truly deliver something meaningful. But that doubt fueled her. “It encouraged me to deliver something even stronger and more beautiful.”
When she opened during COVID in 2019, there was uncertainty about whether the café would survive. Instead, the community showed up – masked, patient, and supportive. Five years later, many of those same customers still walk through her doors. Families with children who have autoimmune conditions or celiac disease are grateful for her clean, transparent ingredients.
Beyond food, she builds community through cooking classes and health panels. Cardiologists, dietitians, nurses, and chiropractors join her to discuss heart health, hormonal balance, inflammation, and the connection between chronic disease and diet. She creates space – especially for women – to pause and prioritize their health.
“You don’t get into the food industry to get rich,” she says, especially when using organic ingredients. “You do it because you believe in something.”
Today, she teaches students through programs like Koka Muse, helping them build better habits early. Her mission is simple but powerful: bring real, nourishing food into every home without pretense.
And in Pleasantville and Larchmont, she’s doing exactly that – rooted deeply, rising beautifully, and carrying her community with her.
ROOT 2 RISE
1924 Palmer Ave, Larchmont, NY 10538 Phone: 914-341-1060 359 Manville Rd, Pleasantville, N Y 10570 Phone: 914-769-8460
info@root2riseNY.com root2riseNY.com @root2riseny