Celebrity chef Damu passes away at 72; CM Joseph Vijay condoles demise

Chennai: Celebrity chef K. Damodaran, popularly known as Chef Damu, passed away at the age of 72, leaving behind a legacy of contributions to the culinary arts and television. Widely recognised for bringing cooking to television audiences through popular shows such as ‘Cooku with Comali’, he became one of the familiar faces of Tamil television.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay condoled his demise in a post on X, remembering the chef for his contribution to the culinary arts and his efforts to make cooking accessible to a wider audience through television programmes.
The post shared by the Office of the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu read, “Through his culinary expertise and unique approach, he brought the art of cooking to the people via television programs. In 2010, he created the Guinness World Record for the longest individual cooking marathon, and he was also honoured with the Padma Shri award. His demise is a great loss to the culinary arts field.”

பிரபல சமையல் கலைஞர் செஃப் தாமு என்று அழைக்கப்படும் திரு.கே.தாமோதரன் அவர்களின் மறைவு மிகுந்த வேதனையளிக்கிறது. தனது சமையல் திறமையாலும், தனித்துவமான அணுகுமுறையாலும், தொலைக்காட்சி நிகழ்ச்சிகள் வாயிலாகச் சமையல் கலையை மக்களிடம் கொண்டு சேர்த்தவர். 2010 ஆம் ஆண்டில் தனிநபரின் மிக நீண்ட சமையல் மாரத்தான் என்ற கின்னஸ் உலக சாதனையைப் படைத்ததோடு, பத்மஸ்ரீ விருதும் பெற்ற பெருமைக்குரியவர். அவரது மறைவு சமையல் கலைத் துறைக்குப் பேரிழப்பாகும். அவரை இழந்துவாடும் குடும்பத்தினருக்கும், உறவினர்களுக்கும், நண்பர்களுக்கும், சமையல் கலையை நேசிக்கும் ரசிகர்களுக்கும் எனது ஆழ்ந்த இரங்கலையும், ஆறுதலையும் தெரிவித்துக் கொள்கிறேன்.

— CMOTamilNadu (@CMOTamilnadu) October 25, 2026  

Chef Damu was born in 1954 and pursued his education at the Institute of Hotel Management in Chennai. He began his professional career as a management trainee with the Tamil Nadu Tourism Development Corporation before establishing himself as a prominent figure in the culinary world.
In December 2010, he entered the Guinness World Records after cooking 617 dishes weighing a total of 190 kg in 24 hours, 30 minutes and 12 seconds. He later took on other cooking challenges, including making a 14.7-metre dosa in Madurai and preparing the world’s largest curry in Singapore.
For television audiences, Chef Damu was widely known as a judge on Vijay TV’s cooking show ‘Cooku with Comali’. The show brought together cooking challenges and comedy, with Damu becoming a familiar face for viewers through his gentle humour and advice to contestants. He appeared on the show from its early seasons and became known for explaining cooking techniques in a simple way.
Apart from television, Chef Damu also appeared in Tamil films and continued to contribute to the culinary field.
In January 2025, he was awarded the Padma Shri for his contribution to the culinary arts. The honour recognised his work in bringing professional cooking to a wider audience and inspiring people working in the food industry.