From teaching engineering students to starting the Eat Your Cuppa YouTube channel, Nambi’s journey tells the story of fulfilling resolutions. Now she has become the runner-up in MasterChef. Let’s know the story of this journey.
Nambi Jessica Marak from Meghalaya considers herself an entrepreneur at heart, who is achieving special success with her business. Jessica is not only the first runner-up of MasterChef India 2023, but has also connected with about 50,000 people through her YouTube channel “Eat Your Cuppa”. She has a keen interest in making pickles. Through this, she is trying to empower the people of Upper Rangsa, a remote village in West Khasi Hills of her home state.
In a conversation with Health Shots, Nambi Jessica Marak shared important information related to her cooking journey. Let’s know the cooking journey of Nambi Jessica Marak, who has mastered the art of making black rice.
1. First of all, many congratulations to you on being the first runner up of MasterChef India 2023. Tell me how much this position means to you.
MasterChef India was unbelievable for me. I never expected to reach this far. Making it to the top 12 is a big achievement for me. After this, I feel my goal is being accomplished. I have worked hard for this and that journey is still going on.
2. Last year, the government of Meghalaya honoured you for promoting the tribal cuisine of the state. How much benefit did you get from this in the direction of the betterment of the people of Meghalaya?
The honour given by the Chief Minister and the Art and Culture Department is that of cooking and cultural ambassador. My dream is to take Meghalaya’s cuisine to the rest of the world. When most people talk about Indian cuisine, only the names of butter chicken and biryani come to their tongue. No one knows about black sesame chicken. As a culinary ambassador, this responsibility is now on my shoulders.
My aim is to make other countries aware of the beauty of our food and culture. A few years ago, I left my job in Chennai and returned to my hometown. My husband, who is from Tamil Nadu, is trying to empower himself and I in our village. Farming is very important in their lives. They don’t know much about selling their produce or products. I make pickles, so I want farmers to grow vegetables for me so that I can buy them.
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3. After leaving your job related to education sector, you started making pickles. How did this idea come to your mind?
I inherited the art of making pickles from my mother. During my school days, my friends used to enjoy the food I made. After going to the village, I saw that a lot of vegetables were getting wasted. Due to this, I started making pickles. We need to pay attention to sustainability. In view of this, I use local vegetables and fruits to make pickles. Currently, I am taking orders for making pickles only through social media. Orders come from many places including Gujarat, Mumbai, Pune, Texas, Singapore and Paris. In small scale business, I personally talk to the customers.
4. Before returning to Meghalaya, you were in the field of education. Do you have any plans related to the education field in your mind?
I was in the field of education for some time. Where I worked as a freelance trainer for some time. There I used to teach engineering students. I taught them soft skills and English language. I come from a matriarchal society so I have to take care of my family.
My mother was paralyzed before we settled in Meghalaya. A few years later, my husband, who was teaching in a college in Tamil Nadu, also left his job and we started working on a farm. Last year, on the request of the village head, we adopted a school. Actually, my husband and I had been wanting to open a school together for a long time. So we decided to adopt the school. At present, there are 85 children in our school.
5. You gained immense popularity from the YouTube channel Eat Your Cuppa which you started in 2016. What was the aim behind starting this channel?
This is from the time when I went to study in Chennai. I was completely tired of eating masala dosa and biryani there. So, I started exploring home-cooked food. At that time, there were limited recipes available online. I took advantage of that opportunity and started making videos on Meghalaya cuisine and Northeast cuisine in English, which people liked very much.
6. Apart from cooking, what is the work you do to keep yourself busy?
Apart from cooking, I spend most of my time on farming, school and with my daughter. Apart from this, I don’t have time for anything else. I keep myself busy 24X7 and am happy with it.
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