Madras Cookbook Club: Group of dedicated foodies share recipes and stories

CHENNAI: Some books are not merely read but lived. Their pages carry the aroma of roasting spices, pencil notes in the margins, and the quiet wisdom of those who cooked before us. At the Madras Cookbook Club, these treasured volumes are brought back to life, opening not just to recipes but to long-forgotten memories. It all began when Akshitha Praveen and Akshita Mucherla, both passionate about food and cooking, decided to take a trip down memory lane.

There was a time during our travel, we would see many vendors selling cookbooks. But over time, these books have been replaced by other things. Where have these treasure troves vanished to? The same question intrigued Akshitha Praveen and Akshita Mucherla, who, inspired by cookbook clubs in other parts of the country, decided to try their hand at one.

“I am someone who always wanted to try new recipes. After coming across a cookbook club in Bengaluru, the idea of starting one in Chennai popped into our minds,” begins Akshitha Praveen, co-founder of Madras Cookbook Club. Another founder, Akshita Mucherla, feels that cooking recipes from cookbooks is an art that is lacking in today’s hustle culture. “Immersing ourselves in the process of reading the recipes, visualising the process and end result, without watching a video or picture, are moments to be cherished with food. The curiosity and excitement are now missing when we watch cooking videos on YouTube or Instagram,” she shares, adding that every cookbook is a story in itself.

Starting with eight people, the Madras Cookbook Club has impressively grown to a group of 25 dedicated foodies in just nine months. The group meets once a month, and inactive participants will be respectfully removed, as the aim is to be serious about cooking and community building.

“This is a wonderful way to meet like-minded individuals who are eager to learn and experiment with different recipes. We choose a cookbook after discussion, refer to the recipes, and work on them together. The club is everything and anything related to food,” Akshitha adds, recalling that their first potluck cookbook in April was Salt Fat Acid Heat, which she believes covers the basics and chemistry of cooking.

Each gathering feels like stepping into a living library of kitchens. As members cook from the same book, nostalgia rises like warm steam, binding strangers into a gentle kinship. Forgotten flavours return with tenderness; old festivals, family kitchens, and childhood Sundays slip back into the room with each shared plate. Here, cookbooks become portals, food becomes poetry, and every turning page invites us to revisit the flavours that shaped us, comforted us, and quietly continue to define who we are.

Karthiknathan S joined the club to stay connected with cooking. “When I moved to London for my post-graduation, that’s when I ventured into cooking. Before that, I was a person who could sense each ingredient in a dish just by tasting. Only after joining the club, I came to know about the existence of many of these cookbooks, and stepping into different cuisines is surreal,” says the 29-year-old.

The club has experimented with Parsi, Korean, and many traditional recipes, which they document on Instagram. “Challenging ourselves to delve deep into unknown recipes is quite a unique experience,” states Akshitha. “It is not just about cooking. We read the recipes, jot down the ingredients and steps on a piece of paper, and follow them. I feel that this adds more meaning to the meal,” Karthiknathan affirms, noting that many cookbooks have driven him to explore more about the community whose recipes are being documented.

Meanwhile, Akshita believes this is an ideal space for networking and discovering hidden cooking tips. “Many of our members are passionate about cookbooks that they buy them as souvenirs while travelling to other states or countries,” she notes.

As members cook from the same cherished volume, nostalgia rises like a coastal breeze, carrying echoes of festive mornings and long-ago Sunday lunches. Here, cookbooks become time machines, food becomes memory, and every shared dish offers a gentle return to the city that taught us to love through flavour.

This is a wonderful way to meet like-minded individuals who are eager to learn and experiment with different recipes. We choose a cookbook after discussion, refer to the recipes, and work on them together. The club is everything and anything related to food

—Akshitha Praveen,

founder