Nitin Chotubhai Desai

Nitin Desai, a food scientist, died unexpectedly at the age of 75 in Tulsa, Oklahoma on January 2nd, 2024.

Nitin is survived by his two sons, John and Paul, his grandkids Gabriella and Emilia Desai, and his brother Pradeep Desai. Nitin is predeceased by his brother Chetan and his parents.

Nitin was born in Bangalore, India on June 19th, 1948 to Chhotubhai and Sarlaben Desai. He graduated from Ohio State University in 1979 with a PhD in Food Science. Fresh out of school, Nitin started his first food science job at Pillsbury in Minneapolis, Minnesota in 1979 in R&D for refrigerated foods and grocery development. He left the job at Pillsbury in 1984 and moved back to Columbus, Ohio where he worked as an assistant professor of food structure and rheology at his alma mater. In Columbus, Nitin met Theresa and they married on June 26th, 1986. Together they had two sons, on February 4th, 1987 and September 8th, 1993 respectively.

Nitin was an avid cinephile, which he attributed to his watching Hollywood movies while growing up in India. He enjoyed cooking and trying new recipes as well as creating his own concoctions. Nitin was a worldly man as he traveled the globe, mostly for his job at Nutrasweet in the 1990s. He had a knack for technology and would build his own computers, and he was very proud that he was an Amazon supporter back when they only sold books. Nitin made many life long friends whom he remained in contact with and would visit all across the world. Nitin will be deeply missed by his friends, family, and all who knew him.

Arrangements are entrusted to Schaudt's Tulsa Funeral Service, 5757 South Memorial Drive, Tulsa, Oklahoma 74145. Family and friends are invited to leave kind words of comfort, share special memories, and offer condolences to the family online at www.schaudtfuneralservice.com.