Jacob Sahaya Kumar Aruni (4 June 1974 – 4 November 2012), popularly known as "Chef Jacob", was an Indian celebrity

chef A chef is a professional Cook (profession), cook and tradesperson who is proficient in all aspects of outline of food preparation, food preparation, often focusing on a particular cuisine. The word "chef" is derived from the term (), the di ...

born in

Uthamapalayam Uthamapalayam is a town and a taluka headquarters in Theni district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is the southernmost States and union territories of India, state of India. The List of states and union territories ...

Tamil Nadu Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is the southernmost States and union territories of India, state of India. The List of states and union territories of India by area, tenth largest Indian state by area and the List of states and union territories of Indi ...

. He was known for his authentic South Indian

cuisine A cuisine is a style of cooking characterized by distinctive ingredients, List of cooking techniques, techniques and Dish (food), dishes, and usually associated with a specific culture or geographic region. Regional food preparation techniques, ...

s. Aruni was a visiting chef at several hotels, and a consultant chef. He was also a food historian, spice collector and promoter of South Indian cooking.

Career

Aruni worked in various catering schools as faculty and went on to take an advanced degree in catering technology. Later he became head of the Department of Catering at Cherraan's Arts Science College,

Kangeyam Kangeyam () is a historical town and municipality in Kangeyam Taluk of Tiruppur district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is situated on National Highway 81. Kangeyam is an economic center in Tamil Nadu. The main commercial interests of ...

and was subsequently its principal. Aruni created a new

Guinness World Record ''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a British reference book published annually, listi ...

for the longest individual

barbecue Barbecue or barbeque (often shortened to BBQ worldwide; barbie or barby in Australia and New Zealand) is a term used with significant regional and national variations to describe various cooking methods that employ live fire and smoke to coo ...

cooking marathon. He barbecued for 24 hours and five minutes, cooking a total of 485 dishes (including 150 non-vegetarian) at Radisson Temple Bay's in

Chennai Chennai, also known as Madras (List of renamed places in India#Tamil Nadu, its official name until 1996), is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Tamil Nadu by population, largest city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost states and ...

on 14–15 March 2010. Earlier records on barbecue were performed by some chefs, so he was the first to perform the individual barbecue event. The event was adjudicated by a committee of 3 main and 24 sub-judges chosen by the Guinness Book of World Records. His other accolades include a felicitation from the former President

Abdul Kalam Avul Pakir Jainulabdeen Abdul Kalam ( ; 15 October 193127 July 2015) was an Indian Aerospace engineering, aerospace scientist and statesman who served as the president of India from 2002 to 2007. Born and raised in a Muslim family in Ramesw ...

for his extensive research on ancient cuisines of South India. He cooked Kongunadu food and served dignitaries at a week-long official dinner at

Rashtrapathi Bhavan The Rashtrapati Bhavan (, ISO: ''Rāṣṭrapati Bhavana''; ; formerly Viceroy's House (1931–1947) and Government House (1947–1950)) is the official residence of the President of the Republic of India at the western end of Rajpath, Raisi ...

, the President's official residence in

New Delhi New Delhi (; ) is the Capital city, capital of India and a part of the Delhi, National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT). New Delhi is the seat of all three branches of the Government of India, hosting the Rashtrapati Bhavan, New Parliament ...

. The Indian Federation of Culinary Associations (IFCA) also acknowledged his efforts, awarding him the Best Young Chef Instructor of the year 2005–2007. He was known for wacky television stunts. He once cooked up a mutton curry on a coconut tree and in another instance whipped up a prawn dish in a boat in the middle of a river. His eponymous restaurant, "Jacob's kitchen" in Chennai, focused mainly on traditional South Indian flavors and veered away from the mundane Chettinad fare commonly found in restaurants. The restaurant opened to much critical and commercial success. He was also popular for his TV show ''Aaha Enna Rusi'', aired on Saturdays on Sun TV, a Tamil satellite channel every Saturday. He was an expert in authentic South Indian cuisine.

Personal life

Jacob Aruni died from a heart attack on 4 November 2012 at the Apollo First Med Hospital in Chennai. He was 38 years old.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Aruni, Jacob Sahaya Kumar 1974 births 2012 deaths Indian television chefs People from Tamil Nadu Chefs of Indian cuisine