Chef Raghavan Iyer, Known For Popularising Indian Cuisine In US, Dies At 61

Chef, cookbook author, and culinary teacher Raghavan Iyer passed away on Friday, March 31 at the age of 61 following a prolonged struggle with cancer. The news was confirmed via his official Instagram handle. Representatives of the chef mentioned, “It is with a heavy and sad heart I must tell you of Raghavan’s passing this evening. He died peacefully at the University of California San Francisco hospital.” The message additionally stated that a ceremony honouring the person’s life will be organized at a later time, and the details will be shared on social media. “Thank you all for your thoughts and well wishes. He never saw a difference between family and friends so I am sorry for your loss as well. Thank you,” read the note.

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According to The New York Times, Raghavan Iyer died due to pneumonia aggravated by colorectal cancer that had spread to his lungs and brain. He resided in Minneapolis but was in San Francisco when he passed away.

Iyer was credited for teaching Americans how to prepare Indian cuisine. He authored seven cookbooks, including the well-known 660 Curries. Iyer also provided consultation services to restaurants across the United States, conducted numerous workshops, organized trips to India, and established a range of frozen Indian meals. He provided culinary training to thousands of professional chefs at various institutions, such as universities, museums, and corporations, including Google. However, his most enjoyable activity was assisting individual cooks in mastering the preparation of dishes such as curries and biryanis, often with simple ingredients readily available in grocery stores.

Iyer was born on April 21, 1961, in Chidambaram, Tamil Nadu, to S. Ramachandran, a naval officer who later relocated the family to Mumbai, and Gangabai Ramachandran, a homemaker. He was the youngest of six siblings. According to the New York Times, his older sister Lalitha Iyer was training in obstetrics and gynaecology when their mother was pregnant with him, and she assisted with his birth.

During one of his last interviews with the BBC in March of this year, he discussed his most recent and final book, On the Curry Trail: Pursuing the Taste That Seduced the World. He highlighted in the interview his desire for this book to be his lasting contribution to Indian cuisine, particularly the adaptability of curry over the globe.

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