Calling herself a modern-day gypsy, Simy Matthew says that kind of a lifestyle has its advantages too. One of the plus points, she says, of being at home in different parts of the globe is the eclectic cuisines one gets to taste and, if you are so inclined, cook. So it has been with her. Although Thiruvananthapuram is where her parents have settled down, Simy grew up in Dubai, relocated to New Zealand and now lives in Belgrade, Serbia, where her son is a student of medicine.
“However, no matter where in the world I have lived, I have always had a close connect with the kitchen and food. I tend to collect recipes and try my hand at cooking all kinds of food. I used to help my mother in the kitchen and so I am not a novice in the culinary arts. I enjoy the entire process of cooking and have learnt through trial and error,” she says. The self-taught cook has made a name for herself with her pop-ups that serve Indian food.
Penang fried chicken | Photo Credit: Special arrangement
Simy feels that circumstances made it possible for her to pursue what she always wanted to do — cook. “Although I wanted to learn it professionally, my parents and grandparents were not all that keen and so I moved on. However, here I am, a chef and enjoying every minute of it,” she adds.
Her participation in De Chef, a popular cookery contest on Mazhavil Manorama made her a household name among Malayali viewers and Simy made it to the top 20 of the contest. “Since then [2015], I have had a long-standing relationship with the television channel and I have participated in other cookery shows on the channel. In fact, I recently shot a few episodes for the channel,” she says.
Simy has also appeared in cookery-related shows in Foodshala on Zee TV, Annie’s Kitchen on Amrita and so on. In fact, it was her shows on YouTube that got her organising pop-ups in Belgrade.
“It was a completely new place and I joined an online community to get to know people and places. That was when some of my friends noticed my shows and they encouraged me to host pop-ups with authentic Indian food. As of now, I know of only one Indian restaurant in Belgrade and most people were hungry for Indian flavours,” explains Simy. Her carefully curated menus catered to both expats and Serbians.
Sago Gula Melaka, a dessert from Singapore | Photo Credit: Special arrangement
Her pop-ups became sold-out events and Simi wanted to see if she could do the same in Kerala. Hence, when she came down for a vacation, she organised one in Kochi and another one at Gourmet House in the city.
“The Kitchen Pop-Up at Gourmet House will be a journey through South East Asia featuring four-course meals with dishes from Thailand, Singapore, Bali, China and Malaysia. The portions are generous but if diners can’t finish it, I plan to parcel it for them,” Simy says.
The pop-up concludes today. The event is there for lunch from 12 noon to 3 pm and for dinner from 7 pm to 11 pm. Reservation required.
Contact: 9995396790