1) Where did the idea for Cookd really begin?
It actually started with me watching a lot of recipe videos and trying to recreate them at home. I quickly realized that many of them left out important details, especially the small but critical nuances that actually make a recipe work. That’s when the idea hit me: there had to be a better way to teach cooking, one that truly empowered people to make great meals at home. That’s how Cookd was born.
We began with recipe videos that were focused, clear, and genuinely helpful. But as we kept building, we realized that videos alone weren’t enough. The real impact would come from also offering the tools to cook brilliantly every day. That’s what led us to recipe mixes and consumer products. So, in a way, Cookd started as a need for better cooking content but evolved into something much bigger: a brand that helps people feel like great cooks every time they step into the kitchen.
2) You chose to build Cookd from Chennai. In hindsight, how has the city shaped the brand and what made you stay rooted here?
One of the best decisions I’ve made was choosing to build Cookd from Chennai. This city isn’t just a metro, it’s a convergence point for people from across Tamil Nadu. That diversity deeply influenced our content, because Cookd has always celebrated recipes from all over South India, especially from different parts of Tamil Nadu. In many ways, Chennai gave us the perfect lens to represent that mix.
What’s also unique about Chennai is the sense of warmth and familiarity. People here make you feel like you’re one of their own. That spirit found its way into the brand itself. The tone we use, the way we talk to our audience, it’s always felt personal, like saying, “I’m your brother, I’m here to help you cook.” That feeling of trust and relatability, of standing by someone in their kitchen journey, is very much a cultural reflection of this city.
Even our growth was deeply rooted here. A huge chunk of our early followers came just from Chennai. So yes, the city didn’t just shape the brand – it is part of the brand.
“One of the best decisions I’ve made was choosing to build Cookd from Chennai. This city isn’t just a metro, it’s a convergence point for people from across Tamil Nadu. That diversity deeply influenced our content, because Cookd has always celebrated recipes from all over South India”
3) What’s been the most unexpected challenge in building a content-meets-commerce food brand? And on the flip side, a reward that surprised you?
I wouldn’t call it a challenge as much as a conscious risk but one of the boldest moves we made was frontloading capital to build a content-led consumer brand. With content, the investment happens upfront, but the results compound slowly over time. You need patience, belief, and a willingness to wait for the long game to play out. That can be daunting, especially in a world that expects quick ROI.
But the flip side is where the magic really happened. When content works, it gives you a brand reach that’s disproportionate to the spend. The kind of visibility Cookd has today as a brand, and even for me personally as the founder, would’ve been incredibly hard to achieve through traditional marketing alone. That’s the surprising reward. Looking back, it’s probably one of the best decisions we’ve made. The return on effort and capital might not be immediate, but when it kicks in, the momentum is massive.
4) At what point did you feel Cookd truly found its product-market fit? Was there a shift, moment, or pivot that made things click?
From the beginning, we knew we had a strong product. Everyone who tried it loved it. The feedback was consistently positive. But the challenge was always the channel. We were selling purely D2C, and while that gave us control, it was also an expensive and limiting route. Scaling purely online felt like a steep uphill climb.
The real turning point came when we decided to place Cookd products on retail shelves. It was unconventional at the time, especially for a young, content-led brand. Most people would’ve said it was too early. But we did it anyway, and what happened next was a breakthrough.
The products started moving. Fast. Way faster than we expected. And that’s when it clicked: all the brand-building we had done through content, all the awareness and trust we had cultivated online, started converting into actual sales once we were present where customers naturally shop for these products.
We realized we weren’t just building brand affinity, we were building demand. And all it needed was the right distribution channel. That moment was our true product-market fit.
“The products started moving. Fast. Way faster than we expected. And that’s when it clicked: all the brand-building we had done through content, all the awareness and trust we had cultivated online, started converting into actual sales once we were present where customers naturally shop for these products.”
5) If Cookd had to express Chennai through a single recipe or series, what would it be and why?
No doubt, it has to be biryani! The amount of biryani that’s made and sold in Chennai is just massive. And the number of variations you find here is also incredible. It used to be a celebratory food, but now it’s become an everyday staple for a lot of people. You get it at every kind of price point, from ₹100 plates to high-end ones. It’s probably the most democratized dish you’ll find.
Chennai and biryani go hand in hand. Both are deeply emotional for people. The city is emotional, and the dish is emotional. There’s honestly no better way to represent Chennai than through biryani.
One of Aathitiyan’s heroes – Girish Mathrubootham of Freshworks
6) What’s one Chennai-based brand you admire (outside of your own) and what have you learned from them?
It has to be Freshworks. I know it’s already the poster child of the Chennai startup ecosystem, but for good reason. What inspires me most isn’t the valuation, the scale, or the fact that it’s listed on the U.S. stock exchange. Those things are impressive, no doubt. But what stands out to me personally is the kind of impact it created locally.
Freshworks was built right here in Chennai. It created thousands of jobs, and more importantly, it created wealth for so many people. That’s incredibly powerful. Crores worth of wealth were generated for employees, not just for the founders or investors. That kind of outcome is rare and deeply inspiring.
When I think about how I want to build Cookd, this is a big part of the dream. I want Cookd to grow into a truly big brand and company out of Chennai and I want it to become a vehicle for wealth creation and opportunity for our team and the broader ecosystem. You can already see how Freshworks employees have gone on to start their own ventures. That ripple effect is something I truly admire and hope to pay forward.
“There’s honestly no better way to represent Chennai than through biryani”
7) What’s a myth or bias about building from Chennai you wish people would let go of?
There are two common ones. The first is that Bangalore is the place to build a startup because of its investor network and ecosystem. There’s this assumption that access to capital and connections is just easier there. But I’ve always been clear, I wanted to build from Chennai. For me, it’s the language, the people, and the warmth of the city. That sense of rootedness matters.
The second myth, and one I really want to challenge is that you can’t attract top talent to Chennai. People often say, “Oh, non-Tamil speakers won’t move there,” or “Language will be a barrier.” But the reality is, if your company is building something exciting and meaningful, people will come. We’ve attracted and groomed amazing talent right here in Chennai. And once you reach a certain scale, talent from across the country becomes more than willing to move. Sure, language might be a hurdle at first, but the beach probably makes up for that.
“There are two common ones. The first is that Bangalore is the place to build a startup because of its investor network and ecosystem. There’s this assumption that access to capital and connections is just easier there. But I’ve always been clear, I wanted to build from Chennai. For me, it’s the language, the people, and the warmth of the city. That sense of rootedness matters.”
8) What would you tell a young founder building a food, D2C, or creator-led brand out of Chennai today?
First off, there’s no better market than Tamil Nadu to launch and test a new product. It’s not just Chennai, the entire state is ahead of the curve. People here are open to trying new things, and the experimental mindset is very strong. Combine that with high spending capacity, and you’ve got a great ground for building a brand.
The second thing I’d say is: don’t fall into the trap of focusing only on the product. Yes, the product matters. But great marketing and smart distribution often outperform even the best products if they aren’t marketed well. So from day one, think about how you’re building the brand and not just what you’re selling.
One of the smartest ways to do that today is by becoming a creator-led brand. It’s worked for us, it’s working for others, and it’s now becoming the default playbook. The barriers to starting are very low and you can begin from day one. It’s not just a marketing strategy, it’s a trust-building engine.
9) Chennai doesn’t always get national attention, yet it’s full of creative talent, strong communities, and sharp builders. What about the city’s culture or ecosystem deserves a lot more hype?
Honestly, it’s not a lack of talent or quality, it’s a mindset. People in Chennai, and generally across the South, tend to be humble. That humility often holds us back from showcasing our work the way others might. I’ve seen this again and again: brilliant work being done here, but without the hype or storytelling that gets it noticed.
Meanwhile, in other parts of the country, similar, or even less impactful work gets amplified better, simply because they know how to project and promote it. That’s the difference. It’s not about ability, it’s about visibility.
What we need to do is start hyping our work a little more. There’s no shortage of talent here. Chennai is a self-sustaining ecosystem for almost any kind of company you want to build. We just have to get better at telling our stories and owning our wins out loud.
“One of the smartest ways to do that today is by becoming a creator-led brand. It’s worked for us, it’s working for others, and it’s now becoming the default playbook. The barriers to starting are very low and you can begin from day one. It’s not just a marketing strategy, it’s a trust-building engine.”
10) How easy or tough is it to attract the right kind of talent for Cookd?
Fortunately for us, it’s been relatively easy and that’s largely because of the brand visibility we’ve built on social media. That kind of following gives the brand a certain aspirational quality from the outside. It makes Cookd look a bit “sexier,” for lack of a better word, which naturally attracts a higher number of applicants compared to most companies.
Honestly, for any role we post, we end up getting a lot of inbound interest, sometimes even without posting anything. On any given day, we have four to five people reaching out to ask if we’re hiring. The demand is there, and we’re grateful for it, even though we often have to say no.
Especially when it comes to content and media talent, Chennai has a strong pool and it’s been easier than people think. Tamil Nadu as a whole has no shortage of skilled people, and we’ve been fortunate to be in a position to attract and retain some of the best.
“What we need to do is start hyping our work a little more. There’s no shortage of talent here. Chennai is a self-sustaining ecosystem for almost any kind of company you want to build. We just have to get better at telling our stories and owning our wins out loud”
PS: If you know any operators based in Chennai, let us know at asher@winnerbrands.in.
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