FOOD TRAVEL HEALTH FASHION THESE EX-MODELS ARE COOKING UP A STORM
MINI MATHUR MARIA GORETTI AMRITA RAICHAND
We have seen their swag on the ramp, and their acting on the small and big screen. Now, we see them in cookery shows as chefs preparing mouth-watering dishes in their spick and span kitchens. Cooking has always been a passion for these models-turned-chefs. And, many of them realised their passion for the art of cooking much later in life. What’s common between these people is that they all say that cooking has a therapeutic effect on them. Here are four former models talking about their love for cooking. A VJ, television host, actor — Mini tried everything before taking up cooking. However, cooking is not new to her. “I have been cooking since I was 13. I have always been fascinated with old family recipes,” adds the 41-year-old actor. She likes to experiment with Indian, Oriental and Japanese recipes. “For me, recreating family recipes is a way to keep the tradition alive,” adds Mathur. She has a fixed menu for all festivities. “On Holi, I make keema kaleji, mutton koftas, dahi wadas, kanji, and a special dry khichdi along with the crowning glory, kulle ki chaat,” says the mother of two. Her recent fixation is baking gluten-free, sugar-free, dairy-free desserts. Soon, we will see her in a cookery show with Bollywood stars as her guests. Goretti started off as a model — we saw her in a few advertisements. Soon she was selected as a VJ through a talent hunt competition. Today, she is a chef and running a show on her YouTube channel. She has penned a cookery book and she also curates menus for restaurants. Maria discovered her love for cooking while preparing food for her kids. “I take recipes from my aunts, mother or anyone who I feel has made something delicious. At night, when I’m alone in my kitchen – me and my little world - I just love to cook,” she adds. “I keep making the dish till the time I have made it so many times that it’s drilled in my mind and I can cook it blindly,” says the mother of two. Her current obsession is to get sourdough bread right. She made her TV debut in 1997. We later spotted her on the big screen starring opposite Bollywood stars. But soon, her love for cooking took over and she turned into a full-time chef. Her cookery show comes up with some amazing delicacies for kids. “I had taken a sabbatical after I had my son. While he turned two, chef Sanjeev Kapoor came over and asked me to do the show,” says Raichand. She went to culinary school in Singapore, came back and started her career as a chef. “I wanted to curate healthy yet attractive meals for the little ones,” she says. Focus of her recently launched Youtube channel and her upcoming book is the same.