Chef Damu dies at 72 in Chennai; Tamil Nadu CM Vijay calls it a major loss

From dishwashing to TV fame

Damu’s story was often told as an unusually steep rise through the food industry. He began his working life in hotel kitchens doing humble jobs, including washing dishes, before training formally and building a career as a chef, teacher and presenter.

Over time he became a household name in Tamil television through a run of cooking programmes on regional channels, where his easy manner, quick explanations and focus on everyday ingredients made him a recognisable presence beyond the restaurant world. That visibility later translated into a high-profile judging role on “Cooku with Comali” on Star Vijay, a show that mixed cooking tasks with comedy and improvisation.

The programme’s popularity also reshaped his public image. While older audiences knew him for recipe demonstrations and cookery instruction, younger viewers met him as a firm but affectionate judge who could deliver a critique without turning it into a put-down. The nickname “Damu Appa” stuck.

He also had a small on-screen presence beyond television food formats, with appearances in Tamil films including “Ulkuthu” and “Enna Solla Pogirai”.

Damu’s career was not limited to studio kitchens. He was among the early Indian chefs to hold a PhD in Culinary Arts, and he was described as the first Indian chef to earn a doctorate in hotel management from the University of Madras.

He also entered the record books with a marathon cooking feat: a Guinness World Record for preparing 617 dishes in 24.5 hours. The record, frequently cited in later profiles and tributes, became shorthand for both his stamina and his showman’s instinct for turning cooking into an event.

Away from television, he wrote extensively. He authored more than 20 books, many centred on traditional Tamil cooking, Chettinad dishes and other regional Indian recipes. For home cooks, those books served as a bridge between restaurant methods and family kitchens, with an emphasis on familiar flavours and repeatable techniques.

Reports published on Sunday also revived long-running public curiosity about his finances, with some estimates placing his net worth at around $4 million, or roughly Rs 33 to Rs 34 crore. No official financial documents were cited publicly to confirm those figures.

Tributes pour in

News of Damu’s death prompted messages from television personalities, chefs and fans, many of whom credited him with making cooking feel approachable and respectable at a time when celebrity-chef culture in India was still taking shape.

The Chief Minister’s statement focused on that public role: taking culinary knowledge beyond professional kitchens and into living rooms. In the years when Tamil television began building appointment viewing around food shows, Damu was one of the faces that made the format work.

His death also leaves a gap for “Cooku with Comali,” where he served as a steadying presence amid the show’s chaos and humour. No announcement was available on Sunday about memorial programming or how the show would mark the loss.

Damu is survived by family members, though further details were not immediately available in the material published on Sunday.

Funeral arrangements had not been announced at the time of writing.