A familiar face on Vijay TV’s Cooku with Comali, Damu brought Tamil Nadu’s food traditions to television audiences. The Union government announced the Padma Shri for him in 2025 for his contribution to the culinary field.
Published Oct 25, 2026 | 11:31 AM ⚊ Updated Oct 25, 2026 | 11:33 AM
Share
Chef Damu also worked to improve food quality in Tamil Nadu’s school meal programmes.
Make Us Your Preferred Source on Google
Synopsis: Chef, culinary educator and television personality Dr K Damodharan, popularly known as Chef Damu, died on Sunday, 25 October, aged 72. A judge on Vijay TV’s Cooku with Comali, he promoted Tamil Nadu’s food traditions through television, trained aspiring chefs and wrote 21 cookbooks for home cooks and catering students. Awarded the Padma Shri in 2025, he also worked to improve school meals in Tamil Nadu and set a Guinness World Record in 2010 by preparing 617 dishes in 24 hours, 30 minutes and 12 seconds.
Chef, culinary educator and television personality Dr K Damodharan, popularly known as Chef Damu, died on Sunday, 25 October. He was 72.
A familiar face on Vijay TV’s Cooku with Comali, Damu brought Tamil Nadu’s food traditions to television audiences. The Union government announced the Padma Shri for him in 2025 for his contribution to the culinary field.
Alongside his television appearances, he trained aspiring chefs and documented recipes in cookbooks. According to his official Padma Awards profile, he wrote 17 cookbooks for home cooks, containing about 2,700 recipes, and four books for catering students.
Damu also worked to improve food quality in Tamil Nadu’s school meal programmes and trained cooks employed in public institutions.
Also Read: Annamalai’s tacit support to CJP, BJP’s counterattack: What does it mean for his political future?
Born on 3 September 1954, Damodharan began his career with the Tamil Nadu Tourism Development Corporation in 1977 after completing a diploma in Hotel Management and Catering Technology at the Institute of Hotel Management, Catering Technology and Applied Nutrition in Chennai.
He entered the teaching profession in 1986.
On 22 December 2010, he set a Guinness World Record for the longest cooking marathon by an individual, preparing 617 dishes weighing a total of 190 kg in 24 hours, 30 minutes and 12 seconds.
(Edited by Dese Gowda)
