While she’s achieved success in India, her name may not be familiar to you.
Nambie Jessica Marak is a teacher, chef, and entrepreneur from a remote small village in Meghalaya, northeast India. Her journey to prominence began with her notable participation in MasterChef India 2023, where she secured the position of runner-up.
One may wonder how she made it to the MasterChef kitchen from a remote village. The story goes like this: Marak went to study in the South Indian city of Chennai and worked there for a few years before realising she was getting tired of eating staples such as dosas and biryanis.
“I started looking for recipes online and whatever was available was in the vernacular language,” she shares over Zoom from her village Upper Rangsa in the West Khasi Hills district of Meghalaya.
That’s when Marak saw an opportunity. She found herself packing her bags and even managed to persuade her city-bred husband to move back to her farm and the lifestyle she had grown up in—marking her new innings.
Marak then founded her YouTube channel “Eat Your Kappa” through which the world glimpsed her picturesque village, enveloped in lush greenery, alongside her organic vegetables and cooking, accompanied by the soothing sounds of chickens in the background. A surreal setting for many.
Interestingly, even though her channel had little media following in the beginning (it has since grown to 50.1K subscribers), Marak got publicity from all media houses in India. “They looked at my channel as a gateway to northeastern cuisine, which was very nice.”
Although Marak began documenting northeastern cuisine, which she says had only scratched the surface, it proved invaluable.
She shares the story of a chef from Paris who discovered her through her channel. He sought recipes from Meghalaya. “I shared two of our recipes—the black sesame pork and the traditional Garo dish known as Kappa. Apparently, he featured them on his menu for a week, and it was a big success.”
This attention led to an exciting opportunity. She was approached by the makers of MasterChef to participate in this popular show due to her thriving YouTube channel, which she says aims to provide a glimpse into the lesser-known Northeast Indian recipes. It also offers a unique insight into the region’s tribal food culture and more.
After COVID, many influencers took an interest in her work, and Marak claims she remained one of the pioneers who started documenting northeastern cuisine. “That’s how I was called to audition for MasterChef India. I wasn’t planning on applying for the show, but I received a call. I thought, if I get the opportunity to showcase my food on a national platform, why not?”
With a broad knowledge of various cooking styles from every tribe across different states in the northeast, it greatly contributed to her success in the MasterChef kitchen. And with her husband’s South Indian background, she was inspired to infuse a unique twist into the dishes she created, blending elements from both North Indian and South Indian cuisines.
MasterChef India truly became a good playground for Marak’s culinary innovation. She boldly introduced key northeastern ingredients like axone (fermented soya beans), ngari (fermented fish), and bamboo shoots to a diverse and unfamiliar audience. One of her standout creations, aptly named ‘South Meets East,’ featured a dosa filled with a delectable combination of chicken and bamboo shoot.
Additionally, she crafted a piquant podi—a traditional South Indian condiment made from lentils and spices—infused with fermented soya beans.
“I stunk up the entire kitchen but the judges loved them,” she says, with a laugh, adding, “They say about axone, the smell will kill you but once you eat it, it will revive you.”
Today, Marak leads a multifaceted life—as a chef, entrepreneur, and school teacher. She spearheaded the revival of her village school, the Sunbeam Foundation, in 2022. Since its resurgence, the school has experienced significant growth, expanding from 19 students to 85. Notably, their four-year-old daughter, Avira, is among the attendees. The school operates with a dedicated team of seven teachers, including Nambie and her husband, providing quality education to its students.
Marak has also ventured into entrepreneurship, launching a pickling business while diligently managing her farm.
More significantly, on her initial success as a YouTuber, she attributes it to “staying true to her roots, being humble and simple”. Not too big on the use garam masala or elaborate Indian spices, her cooking embraces simplicity and humility with the innate use of locally sourced, homegrown ingredients readily available in her backyard.
“I am a rookie chef, not trained,” she modestly admits. Rest assured, Marak demonstrates that minimalist cooking techniques can achieve exquisite tastes—quite her culture’s culinary artistry.
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Nambie Jessica Marak, a chef from Meghalaya, gained fame through her YouTube channel "Eat Your Kappa" & #MasterChefIndia. She showcases northeastern cuisine, blending North & South Indian influences, achieving culinary innovation. 🍲🎥👩🍳🌿🇮🇳 #TheIndianSunhttps://t.co/JrHXGbg4mI
— The Indian Sun (@The_Indian_Sun) April 23, 2024
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