Online Masterchef

The first time Yaman Agarwal, an 18-year-old self-taught chef posted his video on YouTube, it got only 12 to 13 views. Now, four years later, not only does he have more than four lakh followers, but he is also one of the faces of YouTube’s latest national advertising campaign that is all over television!

For someone who started cooking when he was just 12 years old, he has come a long way. Talking about bagging the ad, Yaman says, “I was approached by the channel a few months ago. They selected the top channels in four categories — food, music, technology and comedy. Based on the number of followers and views, two YouTubers were selected from each category, one from an english channel and one from a regional language channel.”

Yaman was always interested in cooking and his love for the art started when he was around seven or eight years. But he doesn’t plan to pursue a course in the culinary art world. “My passion has brought me this far, but I don’t plan to study the course. I believe that the learning curve is far more interesting when you learn things on your own. I have always believed in experimenting and learning new methods and I will continue to do so,” says the undergraduation student who considers YouTube’s famous chefs Sanjay Thumma and Harpal Singh as his inspiration.

Several chefs who started off their careers on YouTube have moved on to star in culinary competitions or have opened restaurants, but Yaman is happy where he is. “I am content with my channel. I don’t want to open a restaurant because there, I won’t be able to share what I do with others,” he explains. “I did receive a few offers to start my own TV show, but unlike an online channel, it is not an interactive medium,” he explains.

For now, Yaman’s only plans are to come up with more interesting recipes and to keep working on his channel.