Independence Day Special: Celebrity chef Sarah Todd reveals her life lessons from India

India is celebrated globally for being a vibrant melting pot of cultures and experiences. It was an attraction that even pulled celebrity chef Sarah Todd into opening her first restaurant in India a decade ago. The Australian chef who won hearts by cooking Indian aloo gobi on Masterchef Australia back in 2014, says her bond with the country has only strengthened with time. In between exploring nooks and corners of India to experiencing the diversity and richness of its cuisine, culture and hospitality, Sarah Todd has picked life lessons to cherish for a lifetime. On India’s 78th Independence Day, the renowned chef spoke to Health Shots about the things she has learnt for life from India!

Sarah Todd, 36, was a model before stepping into the culinary world, and creating a name for herself as a restaurateur, TV host and cookbook author, globally. Her aloo gobi stint earned her a huge Indian fan following, and she ended up opening her first restaurant Antares Restaurant & Beach Club in 2014. After that, she featured in a television series called “My Restaurant in India”, which aired in 156 countries worldwide.

There has been no looking back and Sarah has been working to blend French techniques and Indian flavours at her new restaurants to give fans a gastronomic experience to savour. In 2023, Sarah Todd even met Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and discussed the future of India’s culinary landscape – as a mark of her commitment to elevate Indian cuisine on the world stage.

Indian cuisine is most incredible: Sarah Todd

As a chef, sustainable practices in the food industry are close to Sarah Todd’s heart. She is all for supporting local farmers rather than shopping from multi-chain grocery stores, apart from investing in foods that are in season.

“It is about going back to the roots. Indian cuisine is one of the most incredible cuisines because all the practices regarding what to eat in the monsoon, what is good for the body when you have an upset stomach… it’s all what I am learning from India. The country has just got so many amazing practices. When I was learning a bit about Ayurvedic cuisine, I learnt that we can heal with food. Now using natural medicines to heal is something I believe a lot in,” says Sarah.

India’s Ayurveda principles hinge on the co-ordinated functioning of the mind, body and soul, with the help of natural preventive and curative care.

Sarah believes that filling our bodies with medicines can create a chain reaction of health issues. What may work, however, is “going back to the roots and using the ancient methods that are all there in India right now… India has all the answers!”

People make sure you have a good experience in India: Sarah Todd

While she has made her name in the culinary world, Sarah Todd is all praise for Indian hospitality.

“I’ve learned a lot around hospitality in India. I’ve realized that people really take the time to make sure that you’re having a good experience in their country. In Australia, it’s a very fast-paced life. We all get caught in a rat race. But it’s human connection that we all need,” Sarah asserted.

India is about keeping the family together: Sarah Todd

As a mother, Sarah Todd appreciates the strongly-rooted family values in India.

Talking of her own country, she says, “We’ve got into this lifestyle where everyone moves into an apartment, they live alone, they’ve disconnected from their families… They turn 18 in Australia and everyone’s moved out, living on their own. But India has a history where it is about keeping the family together and supporting each other. It takes a village to raise a child, and with time, I have learnt to accept help.”

When her 13-year-old son Phoenix was younger, Sarah, a single mother, remembers being a stubborn mother. “I had decided I have to do everything. So, I never had one babysitter for him until I don’t know what age. It was either his father or I taking care of him alone, 24/7! We had no family, no parents, no cousins in the city that we were in. So for me, over the last few years especially, I’ve been really trying to bring back that community in his life, and keeping family and friends around, because it doesn’t need to be blood. It’s also friends. That is something I’ve really changed to value a lot.”

Learnt to enjoy the small things from India, says Sarah Todd

Sarah Todd may be the woman behind luxury dining experiences at her acclaimed restaurant, Sanctuary, in Hyderabad and Goa. But within her heart, she is a woman who has grown to embrace life’s smaller and finer experiences, thanks to her tryst with India.

She tells Health Shots, “Looking at the happiness in people from all qualities of life in India is something that I always admired. As people, we always get stuck in wanting more – more money to have a higher status and to be a little bit more famous. But at the end of the day, it is really about being happy and enjoying the small things. I always used to be that way. But for a period of time, you get a little bit lost and go off the path. And then you come back to realising what is the true value in our lives, and I think I’ve learned that from India.”