Chef Damu - From the Kitchens of Taramani to Celebrity Chefdom

From the Kitchens of Taramani to Celebrity Chefdom

Chef Damu

The year was 1976. A young boy joined the Presidency College in what was then Madras to do a bachelor’s degree in chemistry.  Despite his love for food, and her cooking in particular, his mother had convinced him that there was no future in the cooking business.  The young boy though was staunch in his beliefs, gave Presidency College the boot and became a MadCat in 1977.  This MadCat is today a household name, one that resonates with Tamilians across the world as they welcome him into their home week on week.  

Damodaran Kothandaraman aka Chef Damu grew up watching his mother cooking the most delicious dishes ever.  He loved to eat and had started to cook by the age of 10, but was no Junior Masterchef.  It is a well-known story that one of his first dishes ever, the simple upma, was a burnt disaster that earned him a spanking from his mother.  That did not deter him, neither did his mother’s reluctance.  He was determined to become a Chef at a time when Tamilians did not become Chefs, they only became cooks.  And Chef he did become.

Chef Damu admits that he enjoyed his three years at IHM Chennai and, in fact, wishes he could return to his time as a student, to relive those days of joyous learning.  He credits his teachers with ensuring his basics were strong enough to withstand the rigour of the industry.  

Damu spent 14 years as a Chef at leading hotels across the country and 23 years as an academician, a Vice Principal and a Principal.  Along the way he has picked up a doctorate in hotel management as well as a few Guinness records.  

In 1988, he ventured into media with a focus on simplifying cooking, a focus that was born from watching his mother and aunt working hard in the kitchen just to produce two dishes.  Real fame found him with Cooku with Comali (CwC) in 2019.  The success of the reality cooking show from Star Vijay TV, now in its 4th season, proved that comedy-tinged cooking episodes are the perfect stressbuster for its audiences.

Chef Damu’s advice to the generation of today is - hard work, dedication and love for whatever they are doing, whether it is their education or their job.  

Chef Damu is a part of the organising committee of the Diamond Jubilee celebrations of IHM Chennai and he is whipping up magic with the organising team.

 

Chef Damu, Class of 1980