BENGALURU: Maria Goretti is a curious learner and it is evident from the number of roles she holds. She is an author, a professional chef and previously she has been an actor and VJ. But she is still at it and still learning.
Goretti has found a perfect way of balancing her life in Mumbai and Goa, where she recently restored a 150-year-old Portuguese home. But life before that was very different. In the ’90s when India was introduced to the VJ culture, Goretti was one name that could not be missed. Everyone wanted to be as fun and stylish as the VJs, and Goretti won’t deny that. “I think that was the golden era of music. I was blessed to be part of it,” she shares.
Looking back, she says, “I did not know the impact we were having on the youth of India. We were all individuals doing the best at a job we loved. I loved being a VJ. There are no two ways about it. But the impact of what we did only happened much later. I understood it when I later met people who told me ‘Oh, we followed you and would come back from school to watch you’,” she says.
Goretti married Hindi film actor Arshad Warsi in ’99 but only registered it recently – 25 years after their wedding. But she was very clear about wanting to take a break after having her kids. “I just didn’t want to put any makeup on anymore. I did not want to say ‘Hey, everybody. Are you having a good time?’ I wanted to stay home and enjoy my kids and I did just that,” she says, after which she found her interest in food.
In Bengaluru recently to try out the food at a newly-launched restaurant, Goretti recalls exploring the world of food in 2010. “I started trying out various recipes from the internet, and a friend of mine, who is a writer, pushed me into starting a blog. And that’s how I would say my writing and food journey began,” she says. Then she did a course in Tante Marie London in 2011 and Diploma in Patisserie from Le Cordon Bleu Paris & London in 2018. ….. says Goretti, recalling her book, From My Kitchen to Yours which won the Gourmand award in 2016.
Culinary Academy in London, after which she did a certificate course from Le Cordon Bleu Paris. “I was writing the blog and started getting offers to write a book, which eventually happened in 2016,” says Goretti, recalling her book, My Kitchen to Yours.
Her interest in food is not just limited to gourmet delicacies, however. “I want to learn Ayurveda nutrition and food , I have not studied that yet. But I have emails dated far back to 2016 , where I wrote to a few colleges for my required courses. Maybe sometime this year, I will learn more about it,” says Goretti, who also published her book of poems last year.
Following her mantra of being open to new learning and experiences, Goretti is happy with where she stands in life and takes each day as it comes.