Sanjay Thumma (born 26 April 1970) popularly known as Vah-Chef, is an Indian celebrity chef, entrepreneur, restaurateur and television personality. He is the founder of the cooking website, vahrehvah.com.[1] He is especially popular among the Indie-expatriate communities in mainland India. He became known for his online recipe channel on YouTube, which he started in 2007, with over 750 million views.[2][3][4] He is one of the three judges in the first season of MasterChef India – Telugu.
Sanjay Thumma | |
|---|---|
సంజయ్ తుమ్మ | |
 Thumma in 2013 | |
| Born | 26 April 1970 Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh,(now Telangana), India |
| Other names | Washy, Washer, Thummer, Thumsy, Sanner |
| Education | Diploma in Hotel Management, IHM, Hyderabad |
| Occupation(s) | Chef, Television host and entrepreneur |
| Website | http://www.vahrehvah.com |
Early life
editSanjay Thumma was born in Hyderabad. His interest in the kitchen began when he was just 7 years old. His mother would engage him in the kitchen so that he would not annoy his siblings. His first dishes were dosa and scrambled eggs. His desire to cook increased when his mother was bedridden with a temporary illness and he had to cook for himself.[5] He eventually went on to get his diploma in Hotel Management from IHM Hyderabad. He is married to Ragini, who is also a chef, with whom he has a son.
Career
editThumma opened his first restaurant, Sizzle India, in Chicago in 1998. Over the next seven years, he opened three more. He eventually sold his restaurants as he felt that as a chef he hardly got a chance to cook.[6][better source needed]
In September 2007, he set up a studio in Chicago and started recording his first 150 recipes, which he posted on YouTube on his channel VahChef, soon becoming a sensation,[7] and each video reaching over a million views. His channel went on to become viral and gained a large following among Indian communities all over the world. His channel crossed 750 million views with 2.3 million subscribers and more than 2,000 videos. He adds 10 to 12 new videos each month, with thousands of views within hours.
He moved back to India in 2008 with his family and launched his own website, vahrehvah.com. In 2014, his channel had 1.45 million subscribers.[2][8] As of June 2021, his YouTube channel has 2.39 million subscribers.
Television
edit| Year | Title | Role | Network | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014–2019 | Vah Re Vah | Host/Cook | Zee Telugu | |
| 2016–present | Super Chef | ETV Abhiruchi | ||
| 2020 | Garam Garam Vantalu | Guest cook | Sakshi TV | Special episode |
| 2021–2023 | MasterChef India | Judge | Gemini TV SonyLIV |
[9] |
| 2024 | Thulasivanam | Telugu Chef | ETV Win |
Awards
edit- 2018 – OSM Foodie/Chef of the Year at Outlook Social Media Awards
References
edit- ^ Murthy, Neeraja (20 June 2013). "Cooking it up virtually". The Hindu. Retrieved 25 February 2019.
- ^ a b It’s cooking on YouTube The Hindu, 25 April 2009.
- ^ Joseph, Raveena (28 April 2016). "Funny and full of flavour". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 15 December 2020.
- ^ Uddagiri, Nikisha. "Following your passion can give you pursuit of happiness". Telangana Today. Retrieved 15 December 2020.
- ^ Vidya, Bisket. "9 Things You Should Know About Vah Chef, Sanjay Thumma!". Chai Bisket. Retrieved 5 November 2017.
- ^ Kokra, Sonali. "The Chef Who Gets Drunk Before Cooking". OZY. Retrieved 5 November 2017.
- ^ Muthalaly, Shonali (21 May 2014). "Hot on accessories". thehindu.com. Retrieved 21 February 2016.
- ^ Super-chef Samayal
- ^ Murthy, Neeraja (16 August 2021). "Sanjeev Kumar on directing the 'MasterChef' in four South Indian regional languages". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 18 August 2021.