Practical, delicious, earth-friendly solutions that unravel the secrets of good food.

Join the better food movement

Practical, delicious, earth-friendly solutions that unravel the secrets of good food.

Join the better food movement

Hello and welcome!

Puneeta Chhitwal-Varma<br/><small>Photo by Tanvi Madkaiker</small>

Puneeta Chhitwal-Varma
Photo by Tanvi Madkaiker

About Puneeta

Work With Puneeta

I’m Puneeta, writer, food advocate and steadfast guide for those who seek low-waste, earth-friendly and delicious solutions that actually work for real life. I teach people how to cook and eat using Eating with Benefits™, my very own accessible and science-based approach that prioritizes the planet and keeps the wellbeing of all people front and centre.

Welcome to my world!

My work is inspired by the scientific evidence around food and its connection with climate change and recent food & mood research. Through my writing, TV, other media and videos I teach people how to cook and eat food that not only tastes good and is good for us at a personal level, but is also good for the long-term health and prosperity of the planet.

Navigating this world and being weighed down by everyday decision-making in the kitchen can be hard. I make it easy to shift kitchen habits, with my strategies, recipes and tips that help people cook more, use what they have, feel good, and live well, all at the same time.

MapleandMarigold.com, my blog, started as a love letter to India and Canada. Maple represents Canada and my life here. Marigold, with its colour and significance in Indian culture, represents my roots in India. Today my goal is to help you make easy-to-implement, good-for-us, good-for-the-planet changes in cooking and eating that open up the possibilities and guide us all towards leading abundant, enjoyable lives.

Thank you for visiting my digital home and inviting me into your real one.

With gratitude and optimism,

Puneeta

"I first met Puneeta on our Morning Live set in 2019, and she's taught me so much since then!

From her, I've learned to use every last bit of produce in my fridge, and how to make those fruits and veggies last longer. I save money with her advice to 'shop my pantry' and 'shop my fridge' (especially helpful during pandemic lockdowns).

Puneeta, my lovely friend, you have no idea how many times I think of you — and what you'd do — in my kitchen."

– Annette Hamm, Morning Live, CHCH

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People who cook with me say...

I absolutely love this hour of cooking. The professional approach and presentation of the teaching is superb. Engaging, fun & excellent for anyone. Every step, ingredient, spice, how to reduce waste, how to use items from your pantry etc. is all explained in great detail.

At the end of the session you leave with not only your master dish, but with more knowledge about making sustainable changes and better food choices. I highly recommend this club.

Geeta G.
Millennial Lifestyle

I am really enjoying the Sunday Cooking Club with Puneeta at Maple and Marigold. She makes it so easy to follow along and make these fantastic foods with minimal effort.

Bonus.. these foods are also mood enhancers. The whole class is a mood enhancer. I was afraid of cooking with sweet potatoes and voila.. the cook along helped me get over my irrational fears and I created something delicious.

Priyanka S.

The Sunday Cooking Club with Puneeta was such a joy to attend. It felt amazing to prep some healthy and delicious food for the week and to use flavours and ingredients that are out of my usual rotation.

Puneeta is a wealth of information and an absolute joy. I love her approach to making cooking easy but still yummy!

Sara S.

I just adored your Sunday cooking class. You have a real talent for keeping things interesting in the kitchen! The daal came out delicious and I am so pleased with my leftovers for dinner this evening.

I felt energized by the grounding exercise at the start of the class and extremely proud of myself for the meal I created with what I had in my kitchen!

Jennifer S.