Nambie Jessica Marak, hailing from Upper Rangsa in Meghalaya, moved to Chennai for higher education. A lover of comfort food, she missed the flavours of her home, especially country chicken soup with fiddlehead ferns.

In 2015, Nambie started her YouTube channel, ‘Eat Your Kappa’, to showcase Northeastern cuisine. Through it, she aims to educate people about the region’s rich food culture, often misunderstood as “bizarre”.

Her videos capture life in the West Khasi hills, showing how locals gather fresh ingredients and cook on outdoor fire stoves, and sharing the beauty of Meghalaya through authentic, simple dishes.

With over 60,000 followers, Nambie’s YouTube channel gained national recognition, leading to an audition for MasterChef India Season 8. She was the first runner up of the popular cooking show.

Calling herself a “rookie cook”, Nambie says, “I love to eat the most. I know how to cook but what I really enjoy is eating and finding new recipes.”

Apart from cooking, Nambie and her husband Sunny adopted a school in Upper Rangsa. They educate over 85 children from their village and neighbouring areas, offering free schooling.

Despite facing harsh trolling, Nambie stayed true to her mission, to showcase her culture and cuisine. "I didn’t want to let the haters win,” she shares, adding, “What matters is that you should believe in what you do."

Nambie balances teaching and cooking, enjoying both. "You learn something new in both teaching and cooking. Every day is a new day in the kitchen as well as the classroom," she laughs.

Alongside her teaching role, Nambie and her husband run a lemongrass farm and sell lemongrass oil. She also pursues her love for pickles, even starting a business of her own.

In the future, Nambie dreams of opening a restaurant to further showcase her culinary skills and the flavours of her homeland.