K. Damodaran
Chennai's Chef Damu, a cookery teacher with three Guinness records who trained 1.4 lakh school noon-meal cooks, honoured with the Padma Shri in 2025.
Millions of Tamil Nadu viewers know K. Damodaran as Chef Damu from his television cookery shows. In 2025 he was named for the Padma Shri, from Tamil Nadu [1].
A chef with a doctorate
Damodaran was born on 3 September 1954 [2]. After a hotel management diploma from the Institute of Hotel Management in Chennai, he joined the Tamil Nadu Tourism Development Corporation in 1977 [2]. He later became the first Indian chef to earn a PhD in hotel management and catering technology [2]. Since 1986 he has taught and headed several catering colleges in Chennai, and has helped more than 6,000 students find jobs [2].
Cooking for children
Between 2008 and 2011 he worked with the Tamil Nadu government to improve the school noon-meal scheme, with eight kinds of rice dish and six egg dishes [2]. He has trained about 1.4 lakh noon-meal workers across the state’s districts [2].
Records and recipes
He holds three Guinness World Records, including the longest individual cooking marathon, set in 2010 when he cooked 617 dishes in just over 24 hours [2]. A lover of Chettinad food, he has published 17 cookbooks with 2,700 recipes and has hosted cookery shows on television for more than two decades [2].
Sources
- [1] Padma Awards 2025: list of awardees — Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India. Accessed 11 October 2026.
- [2] Padma Awards 2025: citation for K. Damodaran — Padma Awards, Government of India. Accessed 11 October 2026.
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