Foodie columnist dishes out her cookbook
A wonderful achievement: Sr. Mary Immaculate and Beryl Gunasekera with her book. Pic by Nilan Maligaspe
If you were to ask Beryl Gunasekera how to cook something, her reply would be instant. Not only would she explain the process, you would also get tips on how to make the dish extra special. For Beryl, cooking is a passion that she readily shares with anyone.
“Cooking is something you must want to do. If you don’t want to do it then the food won’t turn out well,” she states firmly. Having contributed a column for the Lanka Woman for 17 years, her cookbook, ‘Feast of Flavours’ launched recently has many of the recipes collected over the years.
Although today she is a passionate foodie, it was not always so. An avid pianist who studied music when she was young, Beryl was careful of her hands and therefore didn’t want to step into the kitchen for fear that her fingers would get cut, or burnt or worse – chopped off! However, her mother would coax her to cook and gradually her interest grew. After conducting many cookery courses and demonstrations, she was asked to contribute to the cookery page of the Lanka Woman. Her recipes were so much in demand that people would approach her even years later and mention them, something which brings her satisfaction, she says.
When family and friends asked her to compile a cookbook she readily obliged – and thus ‘Feast of Flavours’ was born. Although she already had many recipes with her, there was much work involved. Every picture in the book is of food which she herself has cooked so that it could be photographed, and she went through and edited the recipes herself with the help of one of her daughters. Having the recipes from her Lanka Woman days made it much easier.
| The launch It was a proud moment for this 89-year-old chef as she launched a book of recipes among family and friends. At the launch, there were many testimonies of Beryl Gunasekera’s abilities as a chef. “As children, we always loved going to her house because there was always food there,” said her granddaughter Sidara, who had sent a message for the event. Sidara also spoke highly of her grandmother’s chocolate shortbread which she would always take abroad with her to dispel bouts of homesickness. Rev. Sister Mary Immaculate called Beryl’s book a ‘wonderful achievement’ and a result of careful honing through many years. Before blessing the book, Pastor Rajah Solomons commented that God doesn’t send anyone to the world empty handed, instead bestowing them with gifts to discover as Beryl has discovered hers. Her two daughters Rehana and Renuka were very proud of their mother’s achievement and felt that it was only fair that after years of providing sumptuous food for the family she should launch a book of recipes. ‘Feast of Flavours’ is priced at Rs. 5000. To order please contact Renuka Udalagama -0714205143 or Rehana Amarasekera- 0722884008; email: rehana_amarasekera@yahoo.com
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