![\"Chef](\"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/chefs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/damu.jpeg\")
\u201cIts a tragic loss not just for Tamilian culinary industry but whole of India,\u201d says Chef Palanimurugan (Photo: Chef Palanimurugan)<\/p>\nChef Damodaran Kothandaraman, fondly known as Chef Damu died on Sunday, October 25 in Chennai.<\/p>\n
The 72-year-old Padma Shri awardee, best known for the show Cooku with Comali, showed that a passion for food could take you places you never imagined \u2014 and was unarguably one of the most beloved chefs from Tamil Nadu.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe made a lot of lives. So many boys who entered culinary industry were clueless and considered dropping out. But Chef Damu mentored them till the end,\u201d Chef Sheetharam Prasaad tells indianexpress.com with pain in his voice, recalling how the \u2018disciplined and dynamic\u2019 Chef Damu had students across the globe.<\/p>\n
In fact, Chef Prasaad was one of them. He first met Chef Dhamu at culinary school 33-years-ago, wherein the latter was the Vice President. He reinstates that this is a huge loss for the culinary world.<\/p>\n
A chef, a \u2018strict teacher\u2019 and author, Damu earned a PhD in hotel management and catering technology from the University of Madras in 2004, becoming the first Indian chef to do so.<\/p>\n
He also made it to the Guinness World Records in 2010 by cooking 617 dishes in 24 hours, 30 minutes and 12 seconds. In January 2025, he received the Padma Shri for his contribution to the culinary arts.<\/p>\n
Despite the long list of achievements, Chef Damu was \u201chumble, approachable,\u201d and even \u201cfun\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe was such an inspiration for me, right from my school days,\u201d recalls celebrity chef Karthikeyan Selvaraj, while sharing how Chef Damu was a classic example for the younger culinary enthusiast that \u201cit can be achieved.\u201d<\/p>\n
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He\u2019d often hear his college mates speak greatly of Chef Damu, discussing how a boy from \u2018food and beverage\u2019 made it big in the food world. The culinarian would teach in different colleges, imparting his wide knowledge.<\/p>\n
Chef Selvaraj was particularly impressed by his \u2018simple chicken and red chilies\u2019.<\/p>\n
The tumultuous early days<\/p>\n
However, Chef Damu\u2019s journey was no less that cinema. Back when he moved from South India to Mumbai, with dreams in his eyes, he had to navigate through countless \u2018harsh\u2019 days.<\/p>\n
\u201cI have heard countless stories of his struggling days,\u201d says Chef Prasaad revealing that as per some versions, he slept at the railway stations and washed dishes \u2014 calling it a very much possible scenario.<\/p>\n
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The two would often discuss how \u2018harsh\u2019 the hospitality industry was back in those days. \u2018There were days when we didn\u2019t get to \u2018see the sun.\u2019<\/p>\n
The Padma Shree awardee would often open up about his struggling days to Prasaad. \u201cInitially, he worked with a lot of cooks who were not qualified. Naturally, they were harsh.\u201d<\/p>\n
There were days when they could not \u2018see the sun\u2019 and had long hours of cooking, washing the dishes, and grit. What worsened the situation was how unrecognized the profession was 30-40 years ago.<\/p>\n
\u201cPeople would call us cooks or bhandaris at banquets,\u201d recalls celebrity chef Palanimurugan, who worked closely with Chef Damu and shared the screen with him on several shows and channels, including Travel XP Tamil and Jaya TV.<\/p>\n
To dream of being a Chef in those days was almost impossible.\u00a0 \u201cI take so much pride in my profession today, and he is the biggest reason,\u201d Palanimurugan tells indianexpress.com. He credits Chef Damu with helping chefs earn the respect and recognition they enjoy today.<\/p>\n
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\u201cIts a tragic loss not just for Tamilian culinary industry but whole of India,\u201d says Chef Palanimurugan (Photo: Chef Palanimurugan)<\/p>\n
As Palanimurugan points out, Chef Damu was among the first people in Tamil Nadu to help elevate the status of cooks and bring greater respect to the profession. The stalwart wanted to \u201ceducate the next generation\u201d of culinary enthusiasts, helping them in their professional journey.<\/p>\n
Despite his long list of achievements, Chef Damu was \u201chumble, approachable,\u201d and also had a \u201cfun side\u201d to his personality. \u201cWe\u2019d often exchange technical jokes\u2026 once he knew you, he\u2019d be very funny and jolly to be around.\u201d<\/p>\n
Condolences pouring in<\/p>\n
For countless Tamil households, he was more than his records and awards. As a judge on Cooku with Comali, his warmth, gentle humour and love for traditional Tamil food made him a familiar face in living rooms.<\/p>\n
As Chef Prasaad recalls, his fame was global, with a particularly impressive fandom in Asian countries. \u201cOnce we were in Singapore and there were so many fans that he could not get out of the hotel.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Following news of his death, fellow chefs, food creators and fans paid tribute to the man who made cooking feel a little less intimidating and a lot more joyful.<\/p>\n
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Tributes have been pouring in since the news of his death came. Celebrity chef Sanjeev Kapoor has also mourned the loss and posted on his social media:<\/p>\n
\u201cDeeply saddened by the passing of Chef Damu. Will always remember him for his ever-smiling, cheerful nature and the wonderful laughs we shared every time we met. He dedicated his life to the culinary world, and his passing is a huge loss to our culinary fraternity. My heartfelt condolences to his family and loved ones.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Chef Damodaran Kothandaraman, fondly known as Chef Damu died on Sunday, October 25 in Chennai. The 72-year-old Padma Shri awardee, best known for the show Cooku with Comali, showed that a passion for food could take you places you never imagined \u2014 and was unarguably one of the most beloved chefs from Tamil Nadu. \u201cHe<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":11730,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[5,11521,11531,11530,11510,11516,11576,11580,11577,11578,11579],"class_list":["post-11729","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-chefs","tag-chef","tag-chef-damu","tag-chef-damu-death","tag-chef-damu-dies","tag-chef-damu-guinness-world-record","tag-cooku-with-comali","tag-damodaran-kothandaraman","tag-indian-chefs","tag-padma-shri-chef","tag-tamil-chef","tag-tamil-cuisine"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/vive.im\/@dnc\/117502916900560528","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/chefs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11729","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/chefs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/chefs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/chefs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/chefs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11729"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/chefs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11729\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/chefs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/11730"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/chefs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11729"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/chefs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11729"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/chefs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11729"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}