Food Diva Face/Off

With a cook book out for one and a web-based food show for the other—and with their lives almost mirroring each other over the years—we decided to put BFFs and newly minted foodies, Maria Goretti and Mini Mathur in the ring for a friendly bout where they match each other punch for punch! 

By Raul Dias

MARIA GORETTI, 45 ·         Model and dancer turned MTV VJ with shows like Hip Shakers and Chillout in the ‘90s ·         BFF Mini Mathur ·         Married to actor Arshad Warsi of the Munnabhai movie franchise fame ·         Has an older son named Zeke and a younger daughter named Zene Zoe ·         Started her innings in the world of food with food shows like Do It Sweet on NDTV Good Times and I Love Cooking on Living Foodz. Her most recent oeuvre being as cookery book author with her book From My Kitchen To Yours: Food, Love And Other Ingredients which has recently won the National Award by Gourmand Awards Jury and which has also been nominated for the Gourmand International Awards 2017

MINI MATHUR, 41 ·         Model and actress turned MTV VJ with shows like Big Picture and MTV 123 in the ‘90s ·         BFF Maria Goretti ·         Married to director Kabir Khan of Bajrangi Bhaijaan fame ·         Has an older son named Vivaan and a younger daughter named Sanya ·         Started her innings in the world of food with her new web show on India Food Network where she cooks with celebrities in a colourful, pimped-out food truck, hence the show’s rather punny name—The Mini Truck. Her show’s line up of guests already features a roster of A-listers like Salman Khan and Katrina Kaif!

Other former models recently turned food world personalities

·         Once the reigning queen of the catwalk, today former supermodel Joey Matthew scorches the small screen with her rather ‘saucy’ food show Love Bites With Joey on NDTV Good Times.

·         From the domestic goddess in the series of Whirlpool appliances’ TV commercials and print campaigns over a decade ago, to the host the popular Mummy Ka Magic food show on the Food Food Channel, the cherubic Amrita Raichand today dons the chef’s toque with élan.  

·         Former Miss India, model and tennis ace Mahesh Bhupathi’s ex-wife, Shvetha Jaishankar has now added author to her CV with her food book Gorgeous: Eat Well, Look Great which is a compilation of recipes, fitness mantras and anecdotes from the world of fashion and Bollywood.

(A shorter, differently edited version of this piece was first published in the 15th May, 2017 issue of India Today magazine)