Faces – Page 2 – Faces Places and Plates

Cooking French Creole in Puducherry with Anita Goubert and Sumeet Nair

Creole. In North America, we associate the word with Louisiana. We see it as a sultry mix of cultures and food, a blend of races, spices and language. It’s where French (and Spanish) colonials met with African-Americans and Native-Americans, free or enslaved, in the heat of the south and everything melded together, willingly or unwillingly. …

Muraly, our resourceful professional guide and driver through South India

Faces

The drivers of India and our friend Murali

What has nerves of steel, lightning fast reflexes, and the focus of a laser beam? If you said a professional driver in India, you’d be correct. There are a lot of stereotypes about India we can bust. The state of the roads and driving may not be one of them. There’s no refuting this stereotype. …

Chef Jerry Matthew, CGH Earth's Spice Village.

Faces

Chef Jerry Matthew of CGH Spice Village in Thekkady

During our 2016 journey through South India, we had the chance to sit and talk with chef Jerry Matthew about what “local food” means in his corner of South India – Periyar in Kerala. Chef Matthew has been with the CGH Earth Experience group of hotels for 20 years now and is the executive chef …

Faces

Cooking at Home on Onam with Mariam Venattu

We spent a completely delightful afternoon cooking with Mariam Venattu and her sister Kunjumol (Anna) and their families. It was the first day of Onam in 2016. Onam is South India’s annual 10-day harvest festival. Mariam’s sons Jinu (23), Tijin (22) and Nithin (18) and Anna’s daughter Sajin (17) joined us. Her husband Thamban Varkey …

Sheril in the kitchen of his Thekkady cooking school.

Faces

Sheril J.S. and the Thekkady Barbeque Cooking School

Sheril J.S. is 40 years old and one of the most fun cooks I know. He was born in a place simply referred to as “six mile” in the Periyar District of Kerala. He learned to cook from his mother and grandmother and he’s still cooking with his mother at his business, the Thekkady Barbeque …

Faces

Mr. Abraham and his Spice Garden

I’m excited to write this piece for you because Mr. Abraham’s Spice Garden is a must every time we visit Kerala. As a cook, it’s the kind of place that I dreamed of experiencing because it is chockablock full of spices. I had always longed to see where and how spices grew. I imagined a …

Faces

Anna Zacharria

On a small island called Chennamkary deep in the Alleppey District of Kerala, Anna Zacharria, standing about five feet tall, quietly chops at her kitchen counter. Rays of sun fall through the partially shaded window. They highlight white streaks through her long black hair which is pulled back in a loose plait. A few loose …

Chennai’s Charmer – chef Chindi Varadarajulu

Charm It is defined as the power to give delight or, to control or achieve as if by magic. Our friend Chindi Varadarajulu, executive chef and co-owner of Pumpkin Tales in Chennai, is full of charm. Perpetually smiling and caring for others, she’s a bubbling fountain of energy who gives delight to all who know …

Faces

Mr. N. Janardhanam and his life in Mamallapuram

Meet our friend Mr. N. Jenardhanam Kind, gentle and keenly interested in the circumstances and welfare of others – these are thoughts that spring to mind when I think of our friend Janardhanam. Sitting across from him, whether it be for a dosa (rice and lentil batter crepe) breakfast, a mid-morning dose of strong South Indian …

Faces

Sadhguru and Isha Yoga Centre

Sadhguru is founder of Isha Yoga Centre. Here we share more about his life and life at the ashram. When you travel there, you see seven hills on the horizon long before you get close. These are the Velliangiri, the white hills of South India. For Sadhguru, the outline of those hills was a perfect …