Australia to India: What this celebrity chef learned about life, hospitality and home | Travel

Australian chef Sarah Todd’s culinary love story with India extends well beyond cooking. From mastering aloo gobi on MasterChef Australia to embracing Indian warmth and wisdom, she once spoke about how her tryst with India has reshaped her life and values. Ahead of India’s Independence Day, let us take a look at the life lessons Sarah Todd has taken from the country.

Australian chef Sarah Todd shares a special bond with India.(Instagram)

Sarah Todd shares her life lessons from India

Sarah has travelled the length and breadth of India to explore the diverse flavours and cuisines it offers. She loves the country’s street food. Be it Delhi’s Daulat ki Chaat and Shahi Tukda or Madhya Pradesh’s Indori Poha, Rajasthan’s spicy Mirchi Vadaa or Karnataka’s ghee-laden Mysore Pak – she has sampled it all! In a 2024 interview to Health Shots, Sarah Todd spoke at length about how her bond with India has only strengthened with time.

1. The power of ancient wisdom

Sarah Todd learnt that food in India isn’t just nourishment, it’s medicine. She called it one of the most “incredible cuisines”. “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. Using natural medicines to heal is something I believe a lot in,” said Sarah. She believes “India has all the answers” when it comes to going back to the roots and using ancient methods for healing.

2. Heartwarming hospitality

The more time she spent in India, the more Sarah Todd realised the love and care that goes behind making and serving food. Sarah reflected, “In India, 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.”

3. Togetherness

As a single mother, Sarah found new meaning in India’s tight-knit community and family values. Talking of Australia, she said: “We’ve got into this lifestyle where everyone moves into an apartment, they live alone, they get disconnected from their families… But India has a history of 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.”

Sarah also realized the importance of having community around for the holistic growth and development of her son Phoenix. Her experiences in India helped her value its importance even more.

4. Joy in the simple moments

Amid grand restaurants and gourmet creations, India taught Sarah to slow down and savour “the small things”.

Sarah told Health Shots: “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. I think I’ve learned that from India.”

Sarah Todd’s reflections are a reminder of the richness of India’s diverse culture and how the country’s strength lies in togetherness and traditions.

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