Chef Damu, Padma Shri chef and Cooku with Comali judge, dies at 72

K. Damodharan, the chef and television personality known across Tamil Nadu as Chef Damu, died in Chennai on Sunday, 25 October, at the age of 72. The News Minute reported that he had been unwell for several days and was receiving treatment at a private hospital.

Damu was best known to viewers as a gentle, supportive judge and host on Star Vijay's comedy cooking show Cooku with Comali. The government honoured him with a Padma Shri in 2025 for his work in the culinary arts.

From hotel management to the small screen

The News Minute said Damu was born in 1954. He studied hotel management and catering technology for his diploma at the Institute of Hotel Management in Chennai, and in 1977 he started work as a management trainee at the Tamil Nadu Tourism Development Corporation. He later moved into teaching and led several hotel management institutions. He also completed a PhD in the subject at the University of Madras, and the report, citing his official Padma Shri profile, said no Indian chef had earned that doctorate before him.

The report described a career spread across the kitchen, the classroom and television, with a keen interest in Tamil Nadu's regional food, especially Chettinad cooking. He was the author of more than 20 cookbooks as well as books aimed at catering students.

PTI's obituary, carried by the Deccan Chronicle, said Damu began his journey washing dishes before becoming a well-known figure in Indian cooking. It did not say when that was.

A record cooking marathon

Before he became a familiar face on television, Damu had made his name with cooking on a very large scale. The News Minute reported that Damu set a Guinness World Record in 2010, in the category of the longest cooking marathon by an individual, by preparing a total of 617 dishes that together weighed 190 kg. The session ran for 24 hours, 30 minutes and 12 seconds. PTI placed it in December 2010.

The News Minute listed two more records to his name: a 14.7-metre dosa, and a share in making the world's largest curry. Citing reports, it also said he collaborated with the state government on improving the midday meal scheme in schools and trained cooks in many parts of Tamil Nadu.

Tributes

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay condoled his death in a post on X. PTI quoted him as saying, "Damu's demise is a great loss to the culinary field." In a condolence message reported by DT Next, Vijay said Damu had taken cooking to ordinary people through his skill and his distinctive approach on television. He also offered his sympathies to the chef's family, relatives, friends and admirers.