Cooking from The Heart

MEET CHEF, CULINARY CONSULTANT, DAUGHTER OF ACTOR ARVIND SWAMI, ADHIRA SWAMI'S KITCHEN TAKEOVER CURATED AT ON THE ROCKS, CROWNE PLAZA

Young, calm, and composed chef Adhira Swami who completed her Grand Diploma at the prestigious Le Cordon Bleu, London, and Spanish culinary program at Le Cordon Bleu Madrid, now brings all her learning to her city back. Adhira showcased an exquisite Haute cuisine menu at On The Rocks in Crowne Plaza recently, where we caught up with her. She shares about her childhood, celebrity dad, her career, and her passion for cooking with Provoke Magazine

When and how was your first tryst with food and cooking? What are your earliest kitchen memories?

I think food has been a massive part of our lives and upbringing in many ways. We used to sit in the kitchen when food was being prepared and all meals would be together. Everytime any of us in the family tasted anything that they loved, they would bring some back home and we shared the food, talking about it. We had a cook from Palakkad called Ameer and he has been there from the time my Dad was a teenager. He's been a part of our family for a very long time and every time he used to cook, I would just sit in a corner and ask him questions and he would give me a little bowl of some mixed pulses and grains. I think for me ( n r 69 food has been a constant for a very long time, so I can't say when it started. It's just always been there.

When and how did your love for cooking turn into your profession? Where did you study? What was your family's reaction to the same?