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Host: Tara

Chennai (Madras), India

USD
$14-$80 per person

Authentic Indian cuisine as well as oriental and continental choices

Host offerings
  • House
  • Home cook
  • Pets
  • Vegetarian
  • Alcohol
  • Transportation
  • Cooking class
  • Market visit
  • Food tour

Meet Tara

Tara's home is filled with beautiful furnishings and collectibles. Tara, who lives with her working daughter, is a personable and friendly host who has led an exotic life. She is also a MasterChef finalist and has won other cooking competitions as well.

What to expect

Please note menu might vary. If there are particular dishes you are interested in trying, please include your request in the booking form.

In-home meal: (1-10 guests) Tara serves a wide variety of authentic Indian regional dishes which may include Tamil-style fish curry, lal maas, a Rajasthani-style goat dish, a Christian-style veal curry sopped up with addictive phulkas made hot and fresh while you eat and her signature chicken biryani served with refreshing boondhi raita followed by traditional payasam. Gather at the family dining table to share the meal with Tara and her daughter, who speaks Chinese and Korean too. She can cook authentic North Indian food, South Indian, Bengali, Malayalee as well as Oriental and Continental food too.

Cooking experience: (1-8 guests) Tara offers a cooking demonstration during which she will prepare 2-3 dishes from different parts of India. Be sure to let her know beforehand if you're interested in learning one particular cuisine.

Market visit: (1-5 guests) Join Tara in a visit to a typical village market at Arumbakkam, a 10 minute drive from her home to discover regional produce in a chaotic, local market.

Notes: Please note that Tara prefers not to host just a meal for solo travelers. For solo travelers who only want a meal, Tara charges a premium.

Tara's home is 10 minutes from Nungambakkam by car. If you choose a dinner experience, Tara's daughter will join you.

Languages spoken: English, Tamil, Hindi and French

Traveler reviews

5.0 (2)
I was able to meet with Tara who showed me at her home how to make Sambhar, dhosas, a lentil and vegetable dish and a fish curry. A friendly and casual atmosphere that made the whole experience quite special. As part of my market tour, she took me to a place where I could stock up on Chutney.
- Cityeast March 19, 2019
Our lunch cooking experience with Tara was exactly what we were hoping for and exceeded our expectations. I had requested certain dishes in advance and Tara showed us how to make them. It was a fun and interactive experience, and best of all, I learned how to make my favourite Indian meals! Would highly recommend. Excellent communications from booking to finish with all my questions answered via email. Very professional
- travelbugg576 November 24, 2018
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Tara

$14-$80 USD

per person
100% VETTED
Learn more
  • 100% satisfaction guarantee or your money back
  • Credit card is not charged until the host confirms your booking
  • Private experience
Pricing (per person)*
1 person 2-4 ppl 5+ ppl
In-Home Meal
$36 $30 $26
Cooking Experience + Meal
$60 $50 $44
Market Tour
$20 $16 $14
Market Tour + Meal
$70 $60 $54
Market Tour+ Cooking Experience + Meal
$80 $70 $64
Alcohol
$16 per person
*Does not include 3% payment processing fee applied at checkout.
1 person 2-4 people 5+ people
In-Home Meal
$36 $30 $26
Cooking Experience + Meal
$60 $50 $44
Market Tour
$20 $16 $14
Market Tour + Meal
$70 $60 $54
Market Tour+ Cooking Experience + Meal
$80 $70 $64
Alcohol
$16 per person
*Does not include 3% payment processing fee applied at checkout.
Experience Timings
Lunch Dinner
In-Home Meal
11:00am-1:00pm 6:00pm-8:00pm
Cooking Experience+ Meal
10:00am-1:00pm 6:00pm-9:00pm
Market Tour
10:00am-12:00pm 5:00pm-7:00pm
Market Tour+ Meal
10:00am-2:00pm 4:00pm-8:00pm
Market Tour+ Cooking Experience + Meal
9:00am-2:00pm 5:00pm-10:00pm

Meet Tara

Tara's home is filled with beautiful furnishings and collectibles. Tara, who lives with her working daughter, is a personable and friendly host who has led an exotic life. She is also a MasterChef finalist and has won other cooking competitions as well.

What to expect

Please note menu might vary. If there are particular dishes you are interested in trying, please include your request in the booking form.

In-home meal: (1-10 guests) Tara serves a wide variety of authentic Indian regional dishes which may include Tamil-style fish curry, lal maas, a Rajasthani-style goat dish, a Christian-style veal curry sopped up with addictive phulkas made hot and fresh while you eat and her signature chicken biryani served with refreshing boondhi raita followed by traditional payasam. Gather at the family dining table to share the meal with Tara and her daughter, who speaks Chinese and Korean too. She can cook authentic North Indian food, South Indian, Bengali, Malayalee as well as Oriental and Continental food too.

Cooking experience: (1-8 guests) Tara offers a cooking demonstration during which she will prepare 2-3 dishes from different parts of India. Be sure to let her know beforehand if you're interested in learning one particular cuisine.

Market visit: (1-5 guests) Join Tara in a visit to a typical village market at Arumbakkam, a 10 minute drive from her home to discover regional produce in a chaotic, local market.

Notes: Please note that Tara prefers not to host just a meal for solo travelers. For solo travelers who only want a meal, Tara charges a premium.

Tara's home is 10 minutes from Nungambakkam by car. If you choose a dinner experience, Tara's daughter will join you.

Languages spoken: English, Tamil, Hindi and French

Traveler reviews

5.0 (2)
I was able to meet with Tara who showed me at her home how to make Sambhar, dhosas, a lentil and vegetable dish and a fish curry. A friendly and casual atmosphere that made the whole experience quite special. As part of my market tour, she took me to a place where I could stock up on Chutney.
- Cityeast March 19, 2019
Our lunch cooking experience with Tara was exactly what we were hoping for and exceeded our expectations. I had requested certain dishes in advance and Tara showed us how to make them. It was a fun and interactive experience, and best of all, I learned how to make my favourite Indian meals! Would highly recommend. Excellent communications from booking to finish with all my questions answered via email. Very professional
- travelbugg576 November 24, 2018
Pricing (per person)*
1 person 2-4 ppl 5+ ppl
In-Home Meal
$36 $30 $26
Cooking Experience + Meal
$60 $50 $44
Market Tour
$20 $16 $14
Market Tour + Meal
$70 $60 $54
Market Tour+ Cooking Experience + Meal
$80 $70 $64
Alcohol
$16 per person
*Does not include 3% payment processing fee applied at checkout.
1 person 2-4 people 5+ people
In-Home Meal
$36 $30 $26
Cooking Experience + Meal
$60 $50 $44
Market Tour
$20 $16 $14
Market Tour + Meal
$70 $60 $54
Market Tour+ Cooking Experience + Meal
$80 $70 $64
Alcohol
$16 per person
*Does not include 3% payment processing fee applied at checkout.
Experience Timings
Lunch Dinner
In-Home Meal
11:00am-1:00pm 6:00pm-8:00pm
Cooking Experience+ Meal
10:00am-1:00pm 6:00pm-9:00pm
Market Tour
10:00am-12:00pm 5:00pm-7:00pm
Market Tour+ Meal
10:00am-2:00pm 4:00pm-8:00pm
Market Tour+ Cooking Experience + Meal
9:00am-2:00pm 5:00pm-10:00pm
ABOUT TRAVELING SPOON

Traveling Spoon connects you with meaningful culinary experiences, from private cooking lessons to homecooked meals in people's homes. Enjoy an immersive cultural experience that gives you a glimpse into the local way of life.

FAQ

    You can cancel your reservation up until 48 hours before your experience for a full refund minus a 3% processing fee. Experiences within 48 hours are not refundable.

    If you have a question for your host, you can include a note in the field "Write a note to your host" during the booking process. Once your booking is confirmed, you will be emailed your host's direct contact information and you will also be able to message the host through your profile. You can always cancel your booking and receive a full refund 48 hours or more before your experience. If you have other questions you can also email us at reservations@travelingspoon.com.

    Most of our hosts are able to accommodate dietary restrictions and allergies, including vegetarian and gluten free options. For vegetarian travelers, we have an icon on each host profile to indicate whether that host can also offer a fully vegetarian menu. There is a section in the booking form to note any allergies or dietary restrictions which will be sent directly to your host.

    Some hosts offer alcohol as an optional add-on for travelers who are of legal drinking age. Pricing for alcohol is visible on the host profile page and includes one to two glasses of wine, beer or local alcohol.

    Have a flight or other tour planned and can’t make the timing provided? If the timing listed on the host’s profile doesn’t work for you, our hosts can often accommodate timing changes. Because all of our experiences are private our hosts are happy to tailor experiences to meet your travel needs. Simply note your request in the booking process.

    Your card will not be charged until your host accepts your booking. Typically hosts respond to bookings within 72 hours. In the event your host is unavailable on your selected date and your host rejects your booking your credit card will not be charged.

    Your host's detailed contact information, including their phone number, address, and direction notes, will all be provided immediately upon successful confirmation of your experience (after your hosts accepts your booking and your credit card is successfully processed). This information will be emailed to you to the email address you used to sign up, and will also be visible on your Traveling Spoon profile.

    All prices are noted per person prices unless otherwise specified. Transportation is typically charged on a per car basis. Children aged 5-11 are 50% off, and infants aged 0-4 are free. Hosts set their own prices and Traveling Spoon marks up the experiences; on average hosts receive over 70% of the price paid by the traveler.

    100% of Traveling Spoon experiences are private! Just you and your host and host’s family.

    Hosts typically respond to booking inquiries within 72 hours. If for some reason you have not heard from your host or if you have any questions you can always contact us at reservations@travelingspoon.com.

    Your safety and security are our top priority. To ensure this, Traveling Spoon personally vets 100% of all hosts, including an in-person host visit, to ensure each host and experience meets our strict quality requirements.

    Some hosts offer transportation as an optional add-on for travelers. Typically this is round trip transportation with pick up and drop off at your hotel. Pricing is quoted per car. Specific instructions for transportation will be provided in your confirmation details when your booking is confirmed.

    Many of our hosts accommodate solo travelers. You can see if a host accepts solo travelers by looking at the traveler range found next to the experience descriptions on the host profile (indicated by the numbers in parentheses next to "In-home meal", "Cooking experience" and "Market visit").

    Most of our Traveling Spoon experiences are incredibly family friendly and can accommodate infants and children. If a host is unable to accommodate children that will be noted in the “Notes” section of their profile. Our child pricing policy is children aged 5-11 are 50% off, and infants aged 0-4 are free.