Rakesh Raghunathan is an Indian chef, food historian and television host. He is known for his unique narrative style in his videos. In 2023, he served as a judge in the second season of the Tamil cooking TV show “MasterChef India – Tamil Season 2”, which premiered on OTT platform SonyLIV.
Wiki/Biography
Rakesh Raghunathan was born in Kodaikanal, Tamil Nadu. He studied Bachelor of Commerce from Loyola College, Chennai. He pursued his Masters in Financial Management from Pondicherry University. Obtained an MBA degree from the University of Hartford in the United States in 2008.
Childhood photos of Rakesh Raghunathan
appearance
Height (approximately): 5′ 9″
Hair color: brown
Eye color: hazel
family
Parents and siblings
His mother’s name is Rama Ragunathan. He has a sister.
Rakesh Ragunathan and his parents
wife and children
He married Preeti Mohan on February 6, 2012. She is a lawyer, food and travel vlogger. Together they have a son.
Rakesh Raghunathan’s wedding photos
Signature/Autograph
Profession
Corporate jobs and food ventures
Rakesh Raghunathan started his career in 2003 as a Senior Contracts Administrator for the Indian multinational Hewlett-Packard (HP). He worked there for more than two years, leaving in 2005. In 2008, he worked as a business intern at Standard Chartered Bank India for three months. In 2010, he launched a food and beverage kiosk chain called “PetaWrap” that sells vegetarian and non-vegetarian wraps.
Rakesh Raghunathan and his PetaWrap kisko
Food Blog/Vlog
In 2009, he created his own YouTube channel “Rakesh Raghunathan” where he uploads cooking videos. In 2019, he started a cooking web series called “Ammavum Naanum” with his mother, in which his mother cooks and he provides narration. He not only shares recipes in the web series but also tells culinary history and nostalgic stories related to the dishes. The web series premiered on his YouTube channel ‘Rakesh Raghunathan’. As of 2023, his channel has more than 112,000 subscribers.
Rakesh Raghunathan with his mother in cooking web series ‘Ammavum Naanum’
In 2012, Rakesh Raghunathan started a blogging website called ‘Puliyogare Travels’ with his wife, where he writes about food from different regions, mainly South India. He also conducts cooking workshops in India and abroad. He held his first cooking seminar at his home, which was attended by more than 50 people.
television
Rakesh Raghunathan serves as Concept Director and Host of the Tamil travel television show “Sutralam Suvaikalam” (2015), which airs on News7Tamil.
Rakesh Raghunathan (right) in a still from the TV show Sutralam Suvaikalam
He worked as a chef in the Hindi cooking television show “Malaysian Curry” (2018) with Kunal Kapur, which aired on Living Foodz channel (now Zee Zest). He launched the documentary TV show ‘Dakshin Diaries’ in 2019, in which he explores the culture, customs and cuisine of the South Indian region. The show aired on Living Foodz (now Zee Zest).
Stills of Rakesh Raghunathan in the TV series “Dakshin Diaries”
In 2022, he served as a presenter on the English-language travel and food television program Highway Dreams. The show is aired on Zee Zest channel. In the same year, he appeared as a celebrity guest on two cooking shows “100% South Indian” (Hindi) on Zee Zest and “Super Samayal” (Tamil) on Sun TV.
Rakesh Raghunathan (Rakesh Raghunathan) stills in the TV series “Super Samayal”
In 2023, he served as one of the jury members of the Zee Zest Unlimit Awards. He serves as a judge in the second season of the cooking TV show MasterChef India – Tamil (2023) aired on OTT platform SonyLIV.
Rakesh Raghunathan (right) in MasterChef India – Tamil
Public speech
Apart from cooking, Rakesh Raghunathan is also known for his narrative and public speaking skills. He has participated in various public speaking engagements, focusing on topics related to culinary history and food in mythology and ancient Tamil literature. In 2017, he participated in the ‘Urban Food and Culture’ event organized by IIHS (Indian Institute of Human Settlements). In 2018, he participated in TEDx Chennai and gave a talk titled “Food Stories: A Story of Community, Adversity, and the Humble Peanut.” In the same year, he participated in the Indian Literature Festival and gave a lecture titled “The Taste of Sangam: A Culinary Journey into the Past.”
Rakesh Raghunathan (right) during the ‘Hindu Literature Festival 2018’
prize
In 2018, he won the Tamil Nadu Tourism Award for the travel television show “Sutralam Suvaikalam”.
Rakesh Raghunathan Tamil Nadu Tourism Award
Facts/Trivia
- Apart from being a chef, Rakesh Raghunathan is also a trained classical singer. He often shares his cover songs and music videos on social media.
- He often promotes Aashirvaad Atta on Instagram.
Categories: Biography
Source: HIS Education