Chef Goku

Chef Goku is a Chennai-born chef, culinary researcher, storyteller and consultant whose work sits at the intersection of Tamil food heritage, global culinary techniques, and the documentation of lesser-known food cultures. A graduate of The Culinary Institute of America (CIA), New York, Chef Goku began his culinary career in the United States, working across acclaimed kitchens including Aureole, The Clocktower, Rezdôra, Blackbird and Junoon. His experience also includes pastry at Dominique Ansel Bakery and an internship at Agern, the Grand Central restaurant by Claus Meyer. After years of working in international kitchens, he returned to India with a different objective: to understand, document and reinterpret food cultures that are often overlooked by mainstream Indian gastronomy.

His interests include native ingredients, disappearing recipes, micro-cuisines, indigenous grains, traditional fermentation, tribal foodways and Tamil diaspora cuisine.

He is the co-founder of Tamil Quarter, a research-driven dining project in Chennai created with Nirupama Reddy, in partnership with Pushpa’s Kitchen. Tamil Quarter explores hyper-regional Tamil and Tamil diaspora food, with each edition focusing on a specific geography, community or culinary story. The project aims to revive dishes, techniques and food traditions that are rarely represented in contemporary restaurants.

Chef Goku is also behind Panaderia Goku, a Chennai-based sourdough bakery operating from a kitchen in Mandaveli. The bakery focuses on naturally fermented breads using Indian wheat varieties and native grains, connecting traditional grains with contemporary baking techniques.