Dreamer, reader, traveler and a foodie with an absolute passion for all things food. I am a self-taught cook with no professional training, but I believe I can feed the world with 5 loaves of bread and a few fish.

Having travelled the world and tasted several different cuisines, my all-time favorite food is the ubiquitous Middle Eastern Shawarma. Growing up in Dubai (which is a foodie haven) I was exposed to a variety of different cuisines from a very early age - be it Thai, Italian, Mexican, Arabic or Continental. When people travel, they look up a guide of ‘Things to Do’, Me – ‘Things to Eat’. I love seeing how food unites people, the commonalities of food in each culture, the differences in cuisines and so on. Food is life!

About 6 years ago, I started dabbling in TV working on cookery shows. My big moment came when I auditioned for Mazhavil Manorama’s Dhe Chef (one of Kerala’s leading TV channels) and got selected as one of the Top 20 finalists. It was a great experience both in terms of learning and exposure. I got to learn from some great chefs about plating and technique and of course recognition.

From there on several TV shows followed such as:

Kitchen Killadi (Media One Gulf)
Cookery show (Reporter TV)
Dhe Chef (Mazhavil Manorama)
Dhe Ruchi (Mazhavil Manorama)
Foodshala (Zee TV)
Prasadam (Janam TV)
Fusion Villa (Channel D)
Annie's Kitchen (Amrita TV)
Ruchi Vismayam (Mazhavil Manorama)
India's 50 best dishes (Zee Zest)

I am not a big fan of fusion cuisine and believe that each cuisine should be left on its own so that people can enjoy its uniqueness (mostly). However, I am a big advocate of using local ingredients and seasonal produce especially food that has not travelled half the world to reach me. I prefer simple food and simple flavours with not too much going on in a plate. I believe that cooking does not have to be difficult, stressful or hard. Cooking to me is all about using simple flavours and ingredients that work fantastically together, especially using fresh, local and seasonal produce.

Currently living in Belgrade, Serbia I am challenged daily on how best to cook Indian food without many Indian spices available here. However what Serbia lacks in terms of Indian spices and condiments they make up for it with great fresh produce and meat. Serbs in general cannot handle spices and not many have tried real Indian food. Therefore, it has been a great experience to introduce them to authentic Indian food. There are also several foreign expats working and living in Belgrade who miss a good Indian curry. The admin of a FB group called Belgrade Foreign Visitors Club asked me if I could hold ‘Curry Nights’ for people wanting to enjoy an Indian meal – I said ‘Yes of course’ and from there started ‘Simy’s Curry Tales’ in Belgrade and Belgrade Got Curried Away since October 2018.

A local restaurant approached me asking if I could hold Indian pop ups at their restaurant and as always, I said ‘Yes of course’. These became so popular that they decided to have an Indian menu alongwith their regular cuisine. I helped curate the menu and taught the Serbian chefs on the nuances of Indian cooking (some of who had never ever eaten Indian food before). Having worked in the corporate sector for over 15 years means that I have huge exposure to processes and detailing and this I carried into the kitchen. I was therefore able to combine my passion for cooking with process/people management and turn the restaurant’s Indian menu into a success. I also learnt a lot of valuable lessons from working in the kitchen such as measurements, portion sizes and the pressure of service. Overall a great experience for me and one that I am grateful for.

I was invited to teach Indian cooking at a local academy and this too has been appreciated by the Serbians. Wherever I go in Belgrade, I am now asked 'When is your next Curry Night'? I have had such great feedback from my curry nights with people wanting to know when I am going to open an Indian restaurant!

It has been a truly rewarding experience introducing the local Serbians and foreigners living in Belgrade to what authentic Indian food is all about (FYI there is only 1 full-fledged Indian restaurant in Belgrade). My curry nights are an interactive dining experience with lots of story telling and incorporating local produce. I’ve done everything from the regular Butter Chicken to Appam & Stew to a Kerala Thoran to Payasam to Samosas to Lassis. Every course is carefully planned to keep in mind what is in season and each dish is explained to the guests with a history as well. All of this is well and truly appreciated by my guests some of who have tried Indian food for the very first time.