Kamakshi Rai Yakthumba is a positive, cheerful and driven lady who loves to enjoy even the simplest pleasures of life. Being a foodie, cooking has always been one of her main interests. She likes to spread love and happiness by preparing delicious dishes for her friends and family. She says sharing meals helps bring people closer and strengthens relationships. Really, who wouldn’t love spending quality time with loved ones over delicious (plus hygienic and healthy) home cooked meals?

Since she loves having gatherings with friends and food being an important part of those gatherings, she came up with the concept of opening a Facebook page where they could exchange recipes. It started with a few members but soon increased. Not just girls but even guys showed a lot of interest in the page. Seeing its success, she decided to open up a website so that anyone could get easy access to awesome and easy recipes.

Whether you’re an expert at cooking or a beginner, you can try out her recipes as they are easy to follow with step-by-step instructions, and she mostly makes use of easily available ingredients. She has featured a number of Nepali as well as international dishes on the website such as Stir Fried Tofu in Tamarind Sauce, Nepali Style Oyster Mushroom, Prawn Pickle, Pork Leg Pickle, Chicken Biryani, Nasi Goreng (Malaysian Fried Rice), Thai Style Tom Yum Soup, Prawn Tempura, Khow Shew (Burmese Style Chicken Soup) and many more. There are also a number of snacks, appetizers, drinks and dessert recipes to choose from. It’s quite evident from the website that her love for cooking has been sparked by the delicious meals her grandma always cooks up for the family and there is a special segment dedicated to the sweet old lady titled “Grandma’s Recipes”.

Mrs. Yakthumba has some words of advice for newbies: one should not be afraid of experimenting in the kitchen. You learn from your mistakes and your skills will improve with practice. “The worst that can happen is that the food will turn out bad”, she says. Don’t let yourself be discouraged, instead keep trying and experimenting. If you are interested in cooking, you will be a good cook, she adds.

Check out the website www.gfcookingclub.com to learn new recipes. You can also send in your recipes to be posted on the site. Additionally, you can also check out the Facebook group Girl Friends Cooking Club. Bon appetit!