Her Instagram and Twitter bios -- ZZ’s keeper (names of her children Zeke and Zene) — tell us that Maria Goretti prioritises motherhood over everything else. But that doesn’t stop her from cooking what she loves, eating what she craves for and travelling far and wide to explore cuisines and kitchen secrets.
The former MTV VJ, who is married to Arshad Warsi for two decades now, was in Pune recently for the launch of Anaa’s Baking Studio. Founded and headed by Anagha Kunte, this state-of-the-art studio is located above Reliance Fresh, near Gaikwad Petrol Pump, in Aundh.
At the launch, Maria, along with Kunte, baked canapés with spinach and mushroom topping, and they were delightful. Catching up with the chef, food blogger, TV host, author, mother and wife was equally delightful. We found her extremely affable, witty and curious, and she loves to listen to you as much as she loves to talk.
Maria, who wrote From My Kitchen to Yours and has hosted several TV shows including Do It Sweet on NDTV Good Times and I Love Cooking on Living Foodz, discovered her love for kitchen and cooking ingredients when she became a mother and had to learn cooking to feed her children. To sharpen her skills, she attended a six-week baking course at Le Cordon Bleu Paris. “It happened organically. Attending a culinary school changes your perspective about cooking and looking at the ingredients. When you do that, you become more disciplined as a person and a chef. Having studied at such institutes prepared me for so much more that can be applied to life,” she says.
Speaking of baking, the Salaam Namaste actress says that one may enjoy a bit of freedom when cooking a dish, but one has to be very strict with ingredients when it comes to baking. “It is all science. The ingredients and recipes have to be followed to a T, else your results will never be satisfactory. I get a lot of requests where people ask me to teach them how to make a cake without eggs. Sometimes, I feel like pulling my hair out, nonetheless, how much ever I may hate to teach them baking without eggs, I have to do it. Eggs are such an important part of baking — it has textures and flavours, which are so essential for the cake. There is this whole science behind how much yolk and egg white has to be used,” she says.
Maria, who began to be recognised as a chef and food enthusiast through TV shows, believes that one cannot learn a lot while watching a show on TV because a 30-minute recipe is reduced to 5-6 minute footage. “I am a television host, but let me be truthful and tell you that you can’t learn everything. However, you can get certain ideas about cooking and learn a few skills, hence I watch a lot of food and travel shows. Sometimes, you may not be open to trying a certain cuisine but when you suddenly see it on television, you are curious to know about it and try. However, you can actually learn a lot while watching a YouTube channel where everything is created from scratch, the recipes are broken down and the steps are explained in detail. Having said that, please watch me on TV!” chuckles Maria.
An avid traveller, Maria believes travelling expands the mind. “Every time I travel, I explore new food, new cuisines and new ingredients. I love visiting the local markets and exploring. There is so much to learn and I have this immense thirst to learn more,” adds Maria who is working on her second book.
She laments that we Indians don’t document and archive family recipes which might get lost over time, hence she has now begun to write down whatever her mother cooks and she has tried recreating the dishes. “They weren’t too great with measurements, but we are more clinical in our approach towards cooking. That said, we must save some of their legacies and must begin documenting their recipes now,” adds Maria who has a sweet tooth and can have desserts for a meal.
