The Indian culinary industry remembers Chef (Dr) K Damodharan, popularly known as Chef Damu, as a great culinary brain who spent his life popularising professional cooking, and an affable human being. Chef Damu breathed his last in Chennai after being in hospital bed for some health complications for over a month.
A master culinary artist and a mentor for a generation of chefs in the country, Chef K Damodharan, popularly known as Chef Damu, passed away in Chennai. He was 72. Chef Damu was survived by his wife and daughter.
Chef Damu was recognised for his contributions to Indian cuisine by the nation with Padma Shri last year. After Chef Imtiaz Qureshi and Chef Sanjeev Kapoor, Chef Damu was the third culinary professional to be recognised with one of the highest civilian awards, Padma Shri.
A Ph D in catering science from Madras University, Chef Damu started his professional career with Taj Mumbai and has authored many cook books and mentored many young chefs as a culinary educator and faculty in catering colleges.
“I have an association with Chef Damu for the last 34 years. He was the vice principal when I was a catering student and therefore, he was a guru for me,” remembered Chef Seetharam Prasad, Culinary Director of GRT Hotels and General Secretary of South India Chefs Association (SICA). Chef Damu was the President of SICA.
As a master chef, Dr Damu held a few records to his white coat. The Guinness world record for longest single person cooking marathon is in his name. In 2010, he cooked for 24 hours and 30 minutes to prepare a record 617 dishes, which was a world record.
When the Tamil Nadu government decided to rejig the mid-day meal menu for TN School kids a few years back, it was Dr Damu who helped the government with a balanced menu for kids.
“He was a self-made man who carved his space through his hard work and determination. He was simple and humble and accessible to everyone,” said Chef Prasad. He also highlighted Chef Damu’s unflinching commitment to the upliftment of the chef fraternity in south India.
“With his passing, we lost someone who has given so much to our profession and to the food culture of our country. He was one of south India’s most celebrated and loved chefs,” said Chef Manjit S Gill, President of Indian Federation of Culinary Associations (IFCA) in a message remembering Chef Damu’s contributions.. “As chefs, we understand that a lifetime’s work lives beyond the kitchen – in the people we teach, the traditions we nurture and the pride we awaken in others. Chef Damu leaves behind a legacy that generations cherish and carry forward,” he noted.
Chef Sanjeev Kapoor remembered Damu as a professional who “dedicated his life to the culinary world”. The culinary world “will remember him for his ever-smiling and cheerful nature”, Chef Kapoor noted in his tribute to Chef Damu on Facebook.
Chef Damu got noticed in south India’s culinary scene for his cookery workshops and shows on popular TV Channels. He was one of the first professional chefs to recognise the importance of television as a medium to popularise art of cooking and inspire and ignite passion to pursue professional cooking as a career among youth. “His popular reality show ‘Cooku with Comali’ on Vijay TV during Covid19 was a true stress-burster for people who were stuck at homes during the pandemic,” said Chef Umasankar Dhanpal. “He started cookery demonstrations on Television when nobody was doing it in India. People started developing interest in cooking as a profession watching his shows,” he said.
