Celebrity chefs share culinary legacies and memories influenced by their mothers

Prominent culinary personalities and celebrity chefs divulge the profound influence of their mothers and the flavours that emanated from their home kitchens. They reminisce on the fond memories and long-lasting impact that their mothers have had on their individual and professional journeys.

In the realm of culinary excellence, the greatest chefs often find themselves indebted to the influences of their mothers. These matriarchs, with their age-old recipes and profound love for cooking, have shaped palates and careers

We ask some of India’s most talented chefs to tell us about how their mother’s cooking influenced their culinary styles.

During the 90s, Sunday mornings in India were defined by mothers tuning into Zee TV, eagerly jotting down notes alongside the beloved celebrity chef, Sanjeev Kapoor. He transformed the culinary scene at a time when cooking wasn’t considered a popular profession for men in the country. Khana Khazana became the longest-running show of its kind in Asia, broadcast in 120 countries, and established Kapoor as a household name. 

Sanjeev’s unique cooking style, coupled with his charismatic on-screen presence and infectious smile, ushered in a new era of cooking shows in India. But at the heart of it all, is his mother’s cooking and constant encouragement, he says.

Even today, it is his mother Urmil Kapoor, 82, that seeks validation from. “Just a couple of hours ago I asked my mom, if she liked the turai subzi (ridge gourd curry) I made her for lunch,” he says.

Hailing from Gujranwala, Pakistan, Urmil’s migration to India during the Partition brought with it a treasure trove of culinary heritage. “Her cooking has an extraordinary simplicity and ease...It’s just something no restaurant can recreate,”

He understood this early on when he decided to write a cookbook, Cooking With Love, based on recipes from his vegetarian mother’s kitchen. “When we were working on her recipes in the test kitchen, we took pains to match her curry’s taste as close as possible, it took multiple runs,” Sanjeev explains.