I’m Chef Shankari Arcot.
My love for eating and reminiscing about food started very young. I come from a large extended family and every celebration was a reason for a lot of cooking, feasting, and talking about food. Breakfast involved discussions about the lunch menu, and lunch involved asking what was for tea and dinner at night. Yes, we were food obsessed! It’s no wonder I have such a deep love for the artistry of preparing food.
My earliest memories are of waking to the sounds of the kettle and my mother tapping the lid of the coffee filter. The ting ting of that stainless steel lid was our wake up call for strong, fresh coffee made café au lait style.
I truly missed Amma’s cooking when I left home. Takeout never compensated, and I often called home asking for specific recipes. I tried to replicate dishes from memory and bugged my sister at work (or so she says) for recipes and our mother’s methods of preparing certain foods. Reverse engineering restaurant meals shared with friends was another step in developing my lifelong passion for cooking.
My proudest moment was winning the Iron Chef competition at the California State Fair.
For the past twelve years, I have been sharing my love for cooking with students in Sacramento and the surrounding areas. I have taught many classes at the Sacramento Natural Foods Co-op and Whole Foods as well as giving guest lectures to the culinary students at The American River College each semester. In 2020, I opened my virtual cooking school, which allows me to connect with students much farther from my home – a silver lining in these complicated times.
In addition to weekly classes for adults and children, I offer virtual team building classes, private classes for families or individuals, and a series of classes designed for homeschoolers. Classes and recipes can be customized based on needs and dietary restrictions. If you have questions, suggestions for specific dishes you’d like to see featured, or wish to register, send me an email.
Food offers us a way to safely travel through the heart of different countries. I invite you join me on this culinary journey.