Chef Damu, Padma Shri awardee and Cooku with Comali judge, dies in Chennai at 72

Chef Damu, the Padma Shri-winning culinary expert who became a familiar face in Tamil homes as a judge on Star Vijay’s Cooku with Comali, died in Chennai on Sunday, 25 October. He was 72.

Born K. Damodaran in 1954, and known to his television audience simply as Damu, he had been unwell for some days and was receiving treatment at a private hospital in the city, according to The News Minute and Gulf News. The exact cause of death has not been made public. The news led to a wave of searches for his name, in English and in Tamil, across India through Sunday and Monday.

From trainee to “Dr Chef”

Damu trained at the Institute of Hotel Management in Chennai and started his career in 1977 as a management trainee with the Tamil Nadu Tourism Development Corporation. He later moved into teaching and went on to head several hotel management institutes.

He earned a doctorate in hotel management and catering technology from the University of Madras, and was widely described as the first Indian chef to hold such a degree, which earned him the nickname “Dr Chef”. He wrote more than 20 books, ranging from home cookbooks to textbooks for catering students.

His work focused heavily on the food traditions of Tamil Nadu, Chettinad cooking in particular, though he was also at ease with international cuisines. The News Minute reported that he had worked with the Tamil Nadu government on improving the school midday meal scheme and trained cooks across the state.

Guinness record and a long television run

In December 2010, Damu set a Guinness World Record for the longest cooking marathon by an individual, cooking 617 dishes weighing around 190 kg over 24 hours, 30 minutes and 12 seconds. He was also part of other record attempts, including a 14.7-metre dosa in Madurai and a giant curry in Singapore.

Long before his reality-show fame, he was a regular on cookery programmes such as Jaya TV’s Arusuvai Neram, and he also judged the Malayalam show Dhe Chef. It was Cooku with Comali, however, that made him a household name with a younger audience. He served as a judge from the first season through the seventh, which ended in August, and fans affectionately called him “Damu Appa” for his gentle manner on set.

He also made screen appearances in Tamil films including Kallappadam (2015), Ulkuthu (2017) and Kalyanam Conditions Apply (2018), according to Gulf News. The Government of India conferred the Padma Shri on him in January 2025 for his contribution to the culinary arts.

Tributes pour in

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay condoled the death in a message shared by his office on X, crediting Damu with taking the art of cooking to ordinary people through television and calling his passing a major loss to the culinary field. Celebrity chef Sanjeev Kapoor also paid tribute, recalling his colleague’s cheerful and smiling nature.

Fans, former contestants and viewers of the show shared memories of his warmth on social media through the day. Details of the funeral had not been announced at the time of the reports.

Sources

• The News Minute: Padma Shri recipient Chef Damu of ‘Cooku with Comali’ fame dies at 72 in Chennai
• The Week: Chef Damu dies at 72: Tamil culinary expert had Padma Shri, Guinness record
• Gulf News: Chef Damu dies at 72: Cooku with Comali judge and Guinness record holder, CM Vijay leads tributes