I arrive at my destination – a tree-lined avenue in Adyar – half an hour earlier than expected. Entering what looks like a small apartment complex, I make my way up to the second floor and into Shree Periakaruppan’s kitchen; it’s vaguely reminiscent of the one on Rachel Allen’s show. The foodie, who “wants to take recreational cooking to the next level”, is in the middle of prepping for our class, so I get out of the way and take in my surroundings.
The kitchen is an impressive 1,400 sqft and is done up in monochrome tones with cheerful splashes of orange. Once they’ve set up and we’re ready to begin, Shree explains why she started Foodology: “I wanted it to be like an art studio where you go, paint and feel happy. It’s the same way with food: except you cook and eat in a relaxed, happy way.” We start by learning how to make a tropical green colada. With Chennai’s heat being quite unbearable for this time of the year, our photographer joins us to make himself a glass of the refreshing drink.
As we move on to marinating chunks of tofu in chilli sauce, Shree says that she wasn’t always interested in cooking. Like many people who start cooking out of necessity, she too got started when, as a newly wed, she had to cook for a non-vegetarian loving husband with a fondness for chicken. Now, the 34-year-old IT consultant, who lived in the United States for almost a decade, finds that cooking is a natural way to bond with her family. “My husband and both my children (aged five and seven) love to cook. Whenever we find the time, we make it a point to come to the studio and whip up a meal together,” she says fondly.
While Shree helps us get started on the next dish (vegetable stir-fried rice) she says that cooking with her family made her realise that it is a natural team-building exercise. “Having been in a managerial position for close to seven years now, I have experience in handling workers who’ve had problems with each other. I recommend cooking because it’s an unusual recreational activity and when you cook, you bond.”
So what can you expect when you enrol for her team-bonding sessions? “I give them a recipe booklet and time for prep during which they have to come up with a dish they want to make. Of course, the people who have problems with each other are usually paired up,” Shree says, with a twinkle in her eye. It’s not just corporates who are reaching out to her for these sessions, but a number of families and groups of friends as well. “Oh, we’ve also had requests from men. They usualy enquire whether there will be other men as they don’t want to stand out in a group full of women,” she adds with a laugh.
With such varied groups that come in, classes are seldom boring. Shree recalls one of the funniest experiences that took place during a session for men: “These men don’t usually cook at home but when they are here they make so much noise and are all enthusiastic. One man actually went from table to table adding a little spice in everyone’s dishes as he felt they were bland. It was so much fun!”
Shree also offers sessions for couples who are soon to be married. “This started thanks to the overwhelming number of requests that I got from complaining mothers. We have two-three hour sessions spread over four to five weeks where I show them how to make basic and simple dishes such as rasam and rice, along with basic knife skills. I also throw in the odd exotic dish such as koftas, pesto pastas, Manchurian gravy, so that they’re equipped to make them quickly on a weekday as well,” she explains.
She also has sessions for couple date nights that include a candlelight dinner; couples can pick and choose the dishes they’d like to make (most of the groundwork is done so that they don’t have to cook in a harried manner, Shree explains).
“I have plans to rent out Foodology as a pop-up kitchen for chefs and clients who want a space to experiment with food,” Shree says. Apart from catering to adults, Shree also has a lot of classes for children that are extremely popular. “Our summer camp in May was a big hit; children are really excited about cooking,” she says.
As we end our meal with delicious caramelized grilled pineapple and yogurt, Shree says that cooking as a recreational activity needs to pick up in the city. “When I started cooking seven years ago, it made a big change in my life. It will take time before Chennai accepts cooking as a leisure activity, but I can say that it’s a totally different experience.”
Sessions are priced from Rs 2,500 onwards. Contact 9003054885 for more details.
Other picks
- The Flour Box, a gourmet cooking school run by Mathangi Kumar of That Madras Place, offers classes in French cooking techniques. The school limits its members to eight and is at Adyar. Although her schedule has been erratic, Mathangi does take classes on request. Contact: 9840299932
- Marsha Thompson also known as The Harried Cook does not have a studio space but she does take baking classes in a restaurant space. Contact: foofoofoodie@gmail.com
- Chef WIllie of Tuscana Kryptos conducts classes on Italian food once in two months. The classes are spread across two days—Saturday and Sunday—and are paid. Contact: >Tuscana Kryptos
