Philosophy of Culinary Power

Sarab Kapoor, a Singapore-based celebrity chef, culinary consultant, author, actress, and brand ambassador for Zee APAC, Sonnamera Pte Ltd, AOX and Cold Storage, embarked on a professional culinary journey guided by spiritual insights. The tragic demise of her husband in her 50s was a turning point, as she sought new meaning to life, developed her own unique style of creative vegetarian cooking, achieving vistas beyond her imagination. One of her early breakthroughs was when she authored a cookbook, “Om Cooking" to raise funds for the Chinmaya Mission Trust in 2003. Her fan following spans 18 countries and yet, she remains deeply spiritual, advocating soul and organic food while serving Indian, Singaporean, and Thai cuisines. Corporate Citizen unfolds her inspiring journey

In one of my guest speeches I advised students never to say no, because you don't yet know your potential,” said Sarab Kapoor, a Singapore-based celebrity chef, culinary consultant, author, actress, and brand ambassador.

Sarab has Mumbai roots, which blends her mother's origins in Lahore, Pakistan and her dad's ancestries from Amritsar, Punjab. She believes that she learned 'cooking from the cradle'. "Because those were my toys and my mother was an excellent cook. In traditional Punjabi families, it was very important for a girl to know how to cook. So, every summer holidays, my father made it a point that I cook a dish every day and that has been my learning ground," said Sarab.

Eventually, she relocated to Jakarta, Indonesia and thereafter Singapore, where she quickly became skilled in the finer points of international cuisine, developing her unique and creative style of vegetarian cooking.

Her cooking philosophy is rooted in authenticity and quality. She believes in preparing gourmet yet home-style meals, using homemade spice mix and fresh ingredients. Her niche lies in offering a diverse range of cuisines, from Thai and Indonesian to authentic Indian dishes, all prepared with the utmost care and love. Sarab's commitment to excellence is evident in her meticulous approach to cooking and teaching, providing detailed tips and guidance to her students.

Tragedy sows the seed

A 51-year-old homemaker, Sarab's life catapulted from its quiet routine in 2010 with the demise of her husband. She found solace in her two sons, the older one, working in New York those days and the younger one who helped her pick up the threads after the loss of their father in Singapore. They helped her navigate everyday tasks and encouraged her to take on new ventures. Her daughter-in-law too significantly assisted her transition, offering emotional support.

A distraught yet resilient Sarab gained additional strength from her association with the Chinmaya Mission Trust, and the then global head, Swami Swaroopananda, a close family friend, who guided her towards entrepreneurship. To her utter surprise and initial hesitation, he suggested that she start off by selling shawls from India, which was a hard task for her. "It was very hard on me and I couldn't tell the price to people," she said. It was then that one of her long-time friends suggested that she start cooking classes as she was a passionate cook.

The stepping stone for the classes also stemmed from her reputation as a cookbook author in 2002, when she was encouraged by her friends and Swamiji in the early days as a mother and a homemaker, to collate her recipes into a cookbook titled 'Om Cooking' (Chinmaya Publications). Blessed by her guru, the book became the backbone to bigger opportunities in Sarab's later phases of life. "It was the 50th anniversary of the organisation (2003), and the book was launched in Mumbai at a grand event, as a fund raiser, and sold within the organisation then," said Sarab. The cookbook, with its simple and powerful recipes, took three years to compile, with each recipe tested multiple times to ensure perfection. "It's not that it's a fantastic book but with a powerful name, has been considered as the bible in many kitchens," she said.

"I didn't plan my career course at all and only the first two things were put to me, to sell shawls and start my cooking classes; the rest is providence and my growing zeal to live up to commitments"

-Sarab Kapoor

Opening new vistas

Sarab's professional career took off with private cooking classes in Singapore around 2011, where she put together her style of Indonesian recipes. “In fact, my friends attended my classes so that I could get started. My first few classes were not easy because to talk to people, to explain, was very tiring," she said. As her cooking classes gained popularity, she was approached by a production company to create a cooking show. Although hesitant and nervous at first, she took the plunge with the encouragement of her spiritual guru and her sons. "I didn't plan my career course at all and only the first two things were put to me, to sell shawls and start my cooking classes; the rest is providence and my growing zeal to live up to commitments,” she said.

“The Indian community in Singapore supported the show—it helped that I came from a known business family; everybody wanted me to be doing something. They were so happy that I got something to do,” said Sarab. She considers it a blessing as, “I did not have to put in much effort. It was like a huge community thing. There was excitement from the chair of the TV channel too,” she said.

Her first show aired on Zee TV and received tremendous support from the Indian community in Singapore and the wider Asia-Pacific region. This led to more opportunities, including additional cooking shows and quick recipe segments.

After a three-month trial run, the show 'Cook Love Eat with Sarab' on Zee APAC - Starhub 125, continued for a year, receiving constant sponsorships, and running non-stop every Sunday afternoons. "In this region, everybody would wait for the telecast, having received heavy publicity across the channel, across magazines, and media platforms," she said. The show was unique, as it featured easy-going and accessible recipes, allowing for individual taste preferences.

Her initial TV cooking series and growing reputation in the culinary world led to various opportunities to appear on other bespoke television shows – Make it Snappy, Chef Diaries, and Get Set Cook, on Zee APAC - Starhub 125 and Cook Love Eat Bites, and Candid Conversation, on Colors APAC Starhub 127.

Sarab acknowledges two critical instances in her life that taught her resilience and self-reinvention, and a zest for life and living. The first, when she received spiritual guidance and local community support to leverage her culinary skills, inspiring her cookery shows and classes, culinary engagements, workshops and events. Her second coming was her transition to a celebrity host on TV channels, ushering a fan following across 18 countries including Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong, Philippines and Sri Lanka. It further opened up new avenues as an actress and member of numerous judge panels and consultant for magazines – Wine & Dine, Today's Parents, Savor and Wellness4life.

Overcoming initial hiccups

According to Sarab, "To dream is to take the first step", and she did take hers. However, the passage from a homemaker to a celebrity host needed more grit than what Sarab had imagined. The trial run with Zee for her first show was a disaster. "They set up the cameras for me to get the feel. When I started, within the first ten minutes, I was crying. I actually sobbed and said, I can't do this," said Sarab. However, the channel gave her a little more time. Meanwhile, her sons approached Swamiji once again for some direction. "I don't know how they had faith in their mother, as I lacked work experience. I will credit it to my children and Swamiji's blessings that encouraged me," she said. She began with teaser clips for the big show and warmed up to the nuances of the show. "I was a bit stiff in the initial clips but it took off well", she said.

She gradually developed a relationship with the channel, moving on to the next show, Make It Snappy, which were five minute clips of easy quick recipes. Simultaneously, Zee engaged her with the show, Chef Diaries, which is like a cooking competition. "I would say it was a very miniature, simpler version of MasterChef, for which I travelled to Australia for the recording with the Australian community across six seasons. I had these three shows when Covid hit, and my career had to re-transition too," she said.

"I gradually evolved as a virtual host and learned how to set it all up, including placing the camera on my pots and pans to build impactful cookery sessions via the platform (Zoom)"

Lockdown transitions

Post-2019, the Covid phase ushered in a new virtual momentum as Sarab's global fans urged her to stay connected with them. Pre-Covid, along with her TV shows, she conducted several live corporate and other cooking events, and workshops with cooking institutions, which came to a standstill with strict Covid protocols. Sarab had to train herself to handle Zoom as the platform for running her virtual cooking classes. Not too tech-savvy, a close friend tutored her to cook and interact on Zoom. "I gradually evolved as a virtual host and learned how to set it all up, including placing the camera on my pots and pans to build impactful cookery sessions via the platform," she said. She conducted multiple virtual cookery classes across time zones, gaining popularity. "People didn't know what to do with themselves. I had no time to breathe during Covid", she added. Besides, she also received ample scope as an influencer for multiple brands including MTR, and Organic Tattva to showcase their products on her shows.

In 2022, Sarab's expertise enabled Tamil, Chinese, Malay, Indo-Eurasian curated recipes for far away Park Hyatt's Mr. Ong, Singaporean restaurant in Chennai—a feat she accomplished in the virtual mode. The owners of the hotel, with strong roots in Singapore, helped fine tune the final ingredients. Despite the physical distance and the inability to travel, Sarab successfully trained the chefs. The Chennai chefs scheduled a time over Zoom calls and imitated what Sarab did in her distant Singapore kitchen.

She would send the recipe two days in advance and they would start cooking simultaneously. Since there would be differences in the ingredients sourced in Chennai, it did take some time to finally achieve the colour and texture akin to Sarab's final recipe. The restaurant gained popularity, demonstrating her ability to adapt and innovate in difficult times.

A star is born

Post Covid, her celebrity cook status nudged a senior official with a TV channel and a close friend, to explore Sarab’s hidden potential as an actress, and approached her for a lead role in a short film. Her initial reaction was astonishment as Sarab said, “You're just putting in ingredients and talking on TV shows, where did acting fit in?” She had become a known personality and had her fears. “I didn’t want to make a fool of myself, and the proposal was a bit scary for me”, she said. Once again divine insights and help from her creative friends in filmmaking and photography prepared her for the new opportunity. She watched YouTube tutorials to prepare for her debut role as Seema Singhania, one of the lead characters in the 2022 released short flick, 'Unmasked'. “My mentors helped realise my potential because then, it wasn't difficult, it was just getting into the character. The film took six months to be completed and I found the process very enjoyable, and acting quite addicting,” said Sarab.

Sky is the limit

One of her memorable contributions has been as a consultant cook for high-profile guests including Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Former Union Minister, late Sushma Swaraj during the 2018 ‘Pravasi Bharatiya Divas’ celebrations in Singapore. These experiences have broadened her horizons, building her ‘brand’ as a culinary expert. “I was privileged to manage the PM’s and Sushma Swaraj’s diet menu for four days, especially with Swaraj’s dietary restrictions”, she said. Sarab arranged food for a luncheon meet for 500 guests on behalf of the late Sushma Swaraj. “It was a very great experience just being with her and was I was in awe”, she said. She has also been a part of the ‘Namaste Bharat’ event, in conjunction with the 2024 Republic Day celebrations in Singapore.

Future plans

Currently, Sarab is exploring opportunities to reconnect with her roots in India. She is keen on leveraging her culinary expertise to make a meaningful impact in India, although she hasn't finalised the specifics. Her interest lies in consultancy, menu development, and creating ads—roles that enable her to contribute to the culinary world without the physical demands of running a kitchen.

Sarab is aware of the growing influence of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the culinary field. While acknowledging the usefulness of AI in generating recipes, she emphasises the irreplaceable value of human touch and traditional knowledge in cooking. “The nuances, tips, and personal touch that come from years of experience and cultural heritage cannot be replicated by machines,” she said.

"The film took six months to be completed and I found the process very enjoyable, and acting quite addicting"

Calling aspiring women

Sarab believes life doesn't end with raising children and fulfilling family duties. “I didn't know what I wanted, what I liked. I had no clue—it was akin to a second life and God's ways that put me on a path, where I discovered myself. I was fortunate to have a spiritual mentor,” she said.

• Never Say No: Don't hesitate to try new opportunities. You never know your potential until you take the plunge.
• Self-Discovery: Take time to understand what you enjoy and are passionate about. It's never too late to rediscover yourself.
• Seek Support: Lean on family, friends, or mentors for support and guidance. A strong support system can make a significant difference.
• Embrace Learning: Be open to learning and evolving. Whether it's new cooking techniques or technological tools, continuous learning is key.

“Most women are living in fear of society. They have to get up and say that I've got one life. I want to do something which I'm going to enjoy and be myself,” signs off Sarab.