Ian Purkayastha

Ian Purkayastha (born August 30, 1992) is the founder of Regalis Foods, an importer, distributor, and manufacturer of rare and exotic foods, based in New York City, Chicago, and Dallas. Regalis specializes in fresh truffles, caviar, uni, live exotic seafood, and wild foraged edibles. Regalis presently works with the vast majority of the Michelin-starred restaurant community in the United States, as well as operating a direct-to-consumer web platform: extending the same quality ingredients to curious consumers at home.

Ian was born in Houston, Texas, and moved to Arkansas as a teenager. At 15, he started foraging for mushrooms and wild greens with his uncle, in Fayetteville, Arkansas. After tasting his first truffle, Ian became obsessed with wild foods, and began cold-calling local restaurants and chefs in neighboring cities. This early foray into purveying and distributing led Ian to New York City, where he founded Regalis.

In February 2017, Ian released a memoir, ''Truffle Boy: My Unexpected Journey Through the Exotic Food Underground,'' through Hachette Books. Provided by Wikipedia