Home chefs in the city bat for nutrition-rich eats

Living in a world where gluttony rules, greasy, sugar-loaded and starchy foods have become largely unavoidable. At a recent gathering of about 20 home chefs and bakers in the city, it was the health food that took the front seat, with dishes like millet biryani, homemade probiotics and sweet treats for people with any disease, including diabetes and cancer, being the biggest draws. Organised by the food venture Eat Pay Love, the two-day edition of Ministry of Home Chefs had home chefs and bakers narrating their inspirational food journeys. Some of them also took their leap with the event towards becoming full-scale businesses.

Thirty-three-year-old Senthil Kumar Balu, who was once a cancer stem cell researcher, has turned a baker since 2016 with his food business Wholesome Rhapsody, which translates to a ‘healthy ecstacy’. No, his desserts are not loaded with sugars, frosting creams and butter. Instead, Senthil’s sweet treats are a result of extensive research as part of his motto to provide ‘Desserts for any disease’. They use millets, palm sugar, stevia, coconut cream and other healthy alternatives. “Desserts like the ‘Mammary Love’ cake and ‘Yours Prostately’ cake were created to be consumed by people with breast cancer and prostate cancer without worrying about any affect on their health. We also offer vegan-friendly, paleo-friendly, and gluten-free desserts for anyone battling allergies,” says Senthil.

“You are what you eat,” asserts chef and entrepreneur Shubha Vilasini, who turned the good old millets into a delicious biryani for the event. “I wanted to showcase how one can make use of millets in everyday cooking and make the same dish so much more nutritious by replacing the much-used rice with millets,” adds Shubha, who takes catering orders for a variety of dishes.

Having fought against her personal health struggles with joint pains and other issues, 62-year-old home chef and entrepreneur Abha Appasamy learned to make probiotics at home and bottle them. Known to promote good gut health, probiotics contain living microorganisms like bacteria, that can provide various health benefits. Her brand Abha’s Probiotics has about 10-15 different probiotics including, milk kefir (with fermented milk), pineapple tepache (traditionally made in Mexico out of fermented pineapples) and black tea kombucha (a fermented drink out of black tea).

“After I’ve started having the probiotics prepared naturally at home, I did not need the knee replacement surgery that was prescribed for me. I have been receiving good feedback from several cancer patients, who have been consuming these probiotics and said they were free from the gastrointestinal side effects of taking chemotherapy sessions,” states Abha, who currently sells her products at a few organic stores in the city.

Co-founders of Eat Pay Love, Munira Daniel and Batul Turab say they wanted to provide a launchpad and exposure to home chefs and bakers. “We wanted to provide a platform for those who were serious about turning their love for food into a business. Those who were picked to showcase at the event had honest, homemade flavours with no synthetic flavours,” says Munira.