September 16, 2020

My Culinary Biography

Hi Friends...

I believe this post is going to be interesting as I am going to share more details about ME like who I am, what is my passion, why I chose the culinary field etc. Are you curious?? Then, let's jump in... 

I am Rekha Priyadharshni Jeyachandran and known as Priya Satheesh / Priyasmenu in the blogging world. I was born in a "Temple of City" in South India and then brought up in Chennai, Tamilnadu. I did my undergrad in Engineering with a deep passion for cooking. As a kid, cooking always intrigued me and I used to make simple Roti, Ghee rice, and Fried diamond biscuits along with my brother and kids next door. 

Coming from a conservative family, hotel management studies was a big NO and after a tug of war, Engineering happened. The twist of events happened to post my marriage with Satheesh who also shares the same passion with me. I started my blog in 2009 childishly to keep myself busy and to experiment with the rarely available Bell peppers, Zucchini, and flavored sausages. 

The happiness of cooking forgets all my worries and boosts energy and confidence. When I am stressed or emotionally down, I just step into the kitchen and try out new recipes with different flavors and cuisine. Being a foodie and a blogger, I love experimenting with flavours which makes me busy all day thinking about the combination and flavors of ingredients. 

I truly believe in the quote " Whatever happens, it happens for a reason". The childishly started blogging showed me a way to participate in cooking competitions, helped me to do a food product review, to become a recipe developer in a leading regional magazine back in hometown, to achieve my dream of publishing a book titled "50 Chutney Recipes" which is available as an ebook in Kindle. Blogging helped me to connect people around the world who share the same passion as me. And finally, all this food journey motivated me to follow my dream of becoming a chef. 


Few recipes which got published in the book....

 
Chicken Recipes


Innovative Pizza Recipes


Kashmiri Recipes 

I am sure you must be interested in knowing why I want to become a chef when there are multiple options in the food industry when I love food..... Here comes my answer :)  

Becoming a chef is my childhood dream. I always dreamt to be in a kitchen, cooking something delicious, and serve to my loved ones. Though I knew that being a chef is not an easy job as we see in the cooking shows, I love to work in the kitchen and I want to see people enjoying my food. Cooking for others gives me immense happiness and self-satisfaction. The smile on their face while enjoying their food is what I want. 

Though I had a dream of becoming a chef from childhood, I never worked in a real-time restaurant kitchen until I move to Canada. My first job in a Korean restaurant taught me that being physically strong is more important while working in the kitchen. Then when I moved to A&W, I learned to handle pressure during service hours. 

My Philosophy of cooking...

Hmm... Well, I can say that uniqueness is my philosophy of cooking. I respect the originality of the recipe but since I love to experiment with the flavors, I love to include some uniqueness in my cooking which I believe indeed gives a different food experience to people. 

My favorite quote... 

When it comes to entertainment, I love watching culinary-related shows and movies. The one movie which inspired me a lot is "Julie & Julia", a movie about a chef Julia Child. I adore the way she loved food and cooking and her quotes were very simple and practical. Among all the quotes, I just love this quote which I can relate with me as I love food ;)

"People who love to eat are always the best people" - Julia Child 

-, F., By, -, Flavia MedrutFlavia Medrut is a freelance writer, Medrut, F., & Flavia Medrut is a freelance writer. (2019, August 16). 18 Julia Child Quotes That Will Give You an Appetite for Life. Retrieved September 16, 2020, from https://www.goalcast.com/2019/02/20/julia-child-quotes/

There are many great culinary blogs that I have been following till now. Each blog has its own style of presentation and recipes. I have mentioned a few blog links below which I frequently visit to have a look at their recipes, to learn about food, food photography, and their food culture. 

https://www.africanbites.com/

https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/

https://pinchofyum.com/

If you love baking, then sallybakingaddiction is the best webpage to visit and learn more about baking. The recipes are easy to understand with a detailed explanation. And of course, there are loads of mouthwatering baking goodies :) 

I hope you all enjoyed my today's post. Take a time to view my recipes and send me your feedback. You can reach me at priyasmenu@gmail.com or Instagram page - @priyas.menu 

Few of my culinary creations...