For the love of food

For Chennaiite Sruti Nakul, the wife of Tamil actor Nakul, food has always been the first love. From studying at the most reputed Le Cordon Bleu in London, to now having her own travel and food show in Tamil, Sruti says nothing excites her as much as food does. She shares with us her culinary journey, her husband’s support throughout, the inspiration she takes from Nigella Lawson and a lot more.

Sruti, who used to grow up watching cooking and travel shows on the telly ever since she was young, took up journalism and specialised in food writing. Later, she began baking, and decided to take it a step ahead by pursuing a course in the patisserie at Le Cordon Bleu, London. “It was an out-of-the-world experience to be at a such a reputed institution. Although there was equipment of all kinds, the chefs there insisted that we use our hands. There was so much to learn from that. Nigella Lawson has been a huge inspiration throughout my journey with food,” Sruti says.

After the course, she worked as pastry chef in a few hotels and recently got an offer to host the travel and food show ‘Oorum Unavum’, for Puthiya Thalaimurai TV. “It was exciting to take up this offer. As a part of the show, I travel to some of the least known places in and around Tamil Nadu, and discover some of the most interesting local cuisines that we rarely get to know, along with some historical facts. I learnt that one could find some of the tastiest oysters en route to Puducherry; something that we think is available only at star hotels,” shares an excited Sruti.

To prep her for the show, her actor husband has been helping her with tips to look good on screen, she reveals~ “The support Nakul’s been giving me is incredible. He tells me how I can look better in front of the camera, and I’m glad this food show allows me to be my natural self — and not put me behind a kitchen counter!” she exclaims. When asked if she wants to try her hand at films in the future, Sruti says, “It is not my cup of tea. I was in a couple of TV serials and I didn’t like being on screen as much as I love cooking.”

This TV host loves watching home-style cooking by Sarah Todd and Jamie Oliver, and prefers the humble paruppu sadam or grilled cheese as her comfort meal.