Rakesh Raghunathan is an Indian chef, food historian and TV host. He is known for his unique narrative style in his videos. In 2023, he appeared as a judge in season 2 of the Tamil cooking TV show ‘MasterChef India – Tamil Season 2,’ which aired on the OTT platform SonyLIV.
Wiki/Biography
Rakesh Raghunathan was born in Kodaikanal, Tamil Nadu. He pursued his B.Com at Loyola College, Chennai. He studied Masters in Financial Management at Pondicherry University, Puducherry. In 2008, he received his MBA from the University of Hartford, US.
Childhood images of Rakesh Raghunathan
Physical appearance
Height (approx): 5′ 9″
Hair Color: Brown
Eye Color: Hazel Brown
Family
Parents & Siblings
His mother’s name is Rama Raghunathan. He is a YouTuber. He has a sister.
Rakesh Raghunathan with his parents
Wife & Children
He married Preeti Mohan on February 6, 2012. He is a lawyer and food and travel vlogger. Together, they have a son.
Rakesh Raghunathan wedding pictures
Signature/Autograph
Career
Corporate Work & Food Business
Rakesh Raghunathan started his career in 2003 as Sr. Contract Admin at multinational company Hewlett-Packard (HP), India. He worked there for more than two years and left the job in 2005. In 2008, he worked as a Business Intern for three months at Standard Chartered Bank, in India. In 2010, he started a food and beverage Kiosk chain called ‘PetaWrap’ that sells vegetarian and non-vegetarian wraps.
Rakesh Raghunathan with his PetaWrap kiosk
Food Blogging/Vlogging
In 2009, he created his YouTube channel ‘Rakesh Raghunathan,’ where he uploads cooking videos. In 2019, she, along with her mother, started a cooking web series called ‘Ammavum Naanum’ where her mother cooks while giving commentary. He not only shares recipes in the web series but also tells the history of cooking. The web series is shown on his YouTube channel ‘Rakesh Raghunathan.’ As of 2023, he has more than 112 K subscribers on his channel.
Rakesh Raghunathan with his mother in a still from the cooking web series ‘Ammavum Naanum’
In 2012, Rakesh Raghunathan, along with his wife, started a blog website called ‘Puliyogare Travels,’ where he writes about cuisines from various regions (mainly South Indian regions). He also conducts cooking workshops in India and abroad. He conducted his first cooking workshop at his home, which was attended by over 50 people.
Television
Rakesh Raghunathan has worked as a concept director and host of the Tamil travel TV show ‘Sutralam Suvaikalam’ (2015), which aired on News7Tamil.
Rakesh Raghunathan (right) in a still from the TV show ‘Sutralam Suvaikalam’
He appeared alongside Kunal Kapur as the lead cook in the Hindi culinary TV show ‘Curries of India’ (2018), which aired on Living Foodz (now Zee Zest) channel. She launched the culinary TV show ‘Dakshin Diaries’ in 2019 where she shared recipes of various cuisines of the South Indian region. The show aired on Living Foodz (now Zee Zest).
Rakesh Raghunathan in a still from TV show ‘Dakshin Diaries’
He appeared as a celebrity chef in the Travel and food TV show ‘Highway Dreams’ in 2022. The show aired on Zee Zest channel. In the same year, he appeared as a celebrity guest for two cooking shows ‘100% South Indian’ (Hindi) on Zee Zest and ‘Super Samayal’ (Tamil) on Sun TV.
Rakesh Raghunathan in a still from TV show ‘Super Samayal’
In 2023, he was one of the judges of the Zee Zest Unlimit Awards 2023. He appeared as a judge in season 2 of the cooking TV show ‘MasterChef India – Tamil’ (2023), which aired on the OTT platform SonyLIV.
Rakesh Raghunathan (right) in MasterChef India – Tamil
Public speaking
Apart from cooking, Rakesh Raghunathan is also known for his narrative and public speaking skills. He has participated in various public speaking events where he mainly discusses topics related to culinary history and food in ancient Tamil mythology and literature. In 2017, he participated in the event ‘Food & Culture in Cities,’ organized by IIHS (Indian Institute for Human Settlements). In 2018, he participated in TEDx Chennai, where he delivered a speech titled ‘Food Stories: A Story of Community, hardship & the Nut of Self.’ In the same year, he participated in ‘The Hindu Lit Fest,’ where he spoke on ‘Taste of Sangam: Culinary Journeys into the Past.’
Rakesh Raghunathan (right) during ‘The Hindu Lit Fest 2018’
Award
In 2018, he received the Tamil Nadu Tourism Award for his tourism TV show ‘Sutralam Suvaikalam.’
Rakesh Raghunathan Tamil Nadu Tourism Award
Facts/Trivia
- Besides being a chef, Rakesh Raghunathan is a trained classical vocalist. He often shares his cover songs and videos on his social media.
- He often promotes Aashirvaad Atta on his Instagram handle.
Categories: Biography
Source: SCHOOL TRANG DAI
