In An Exclusive Interview With Preetha Athrey, The Master Of Quick Recipes

Food is a language of love, a bridge to cover distances and the biggest window to know somebody. With the expansion of social media, there has been a rise in content creators who work extensively with food. From preparations to cooking to food photography, this has become one of the most popular niches on the platform. Today, we speak to somebody whose journey with content creation is relatively new, but her love affair with food has been for decades. On our Radar, we have Preetha Athrey of the ‘Easy Eats With Preetha’ fame.

Preetha Athrey, a home cook and content creator has been a foodie all her life. From being excited to visit local markets to whipping out easy dishes with minimum ingredients, her relationship with food has been a long-lasting one. Working in the world of social media in her long corporate journey, she very well understands the many nuances of the field and uses her expertise in her content. Join us, as Preetha shares her expert tips about food, social media and content creation. 

SN: Tell us a little about your childhood. Did the love for food happen since you were a kid?

Preetha: To give you a quick understanding, I come from an armed forces background. So that’s allowed me to travel the length and breadth of the country. Thereby, I started trying different foods at different places and this got me interested in food. 

My earliest encounter with food and its preparation would be when my parents took me to ‘Sabzi Mandi’ in every place and it was a discovery ground for me to learn about new ingredients with which we would try new recipes. I think that’s where my love for started and it’s a journey that continues till date.

SN: Your Instagram bio reads “Easy Recipes for busy lifestyles.” Is there a story behind this?

Preetha: My life is quite busy and I think everyone has busy lifestyles today. We tend to start eating out or ordering in which eventually starts reflecting on our health. When I started to put on weight, I began pondering on how to get on a more manageable routine and eat something more healthy.

Making food at home can be an elaborate process so to deal with all these challenges, I came up with food recipes that are nutritious, can be prepared at home and do not require a lot of time. These are actual recipes that I cook for my own family. I believe if you try these recipes, you will surely enjoy this journey of cooking. 

SN: The least amount of time we have is for breakfast, whereas it is the most important meal of the day. Tell us your favourite recipes that are easy to make and are balanced meals as well.

Preetha: Breakfast is definitely a rush hour so I would always recommend to pre-prep a little for the meal the previous night. If you have eggs at home and consume them, I think eggs are great for breakfast and there are plenty of dishes that you can cook with an egg. Another breakfast dish I love is Upma. You can add a few vegetables to it and that will help you stay full for longer hours. You can make Upma out of Sooji, Vermicelli or any ingredient of your preference. 

If you don’t mind eating something cold for breakfast, then you can always go for overnight oats. Add some fruits and nuts in the morning and you’re good to go. This is my favourite pick for the summer months. There are plenty of breakfast recipes on my feed and people keep asking me to share more and more of them. 

SN: Talking about your feed, there is a whole highlight dedicated to Rasam. Can you elaborate on your love for this southern delicacy?

Preetha: Those are the Indian roots in me that come out. Since I’ve come from Bangalore and Chennai, Rasam was one of the things that my mom makes a lot of, this being her speciality. Over the years I’ve come to realise that there are so many interesting ways to cook rasam. Rasam is one thing you can make depending on the season and your reason for it- may be for a sore throat or cough. In fact, it is one of the most requested recipe series on my feed. 

SN: One memory of ‘maa ke haath ka khaana’ that is very close to your heart?

Preetha: When you live away from home, maa ke haath ka khaana is something you always treasure. Even now, whenever I go, I ask my mom to make Idiyappam. It is a long process to prepare idiyappam from scratch at home, but I loved doing it with her as a child and even now.

SN: Working in the field of social media for a long time and now stepping into content creation, what according to you are the most important things to keep in mind for a food blogger?

Preetha: Seeing the birth of social media and being in that space for so long, I feel there are three important things we should focus on- Be your authentic self. You cannot fake it because people are looking forward to what you’re sharing. Secondly, try and find your niche. Do something for someone instead of trying to do everything for everyone. Last but not least, listen to your followers, indulge in conversations with them and know what they want. 

SN: Tell us about your switch to content creation and why did you delve into recipes and food blogging.

Preetha: This was something I always wanted to do and since it’s never too late to start, I decided to try it this year. I pursued hotel management and completed my training with the Taj group of hotels. Visiting a supermarket or local departmental store in every city/country that I visit is on my to-do list. All this added to my love for food. There are a lot of people who keep asking me for recipes and my family pushed me to record my recipes. I took the plunge in March this year and this has been the most exciting journey of my life. I want to thank all my followers for the love they have been showering on me.

SN: As a content creator, what are some of the trends you think will rule 2024?

Preetha: In 2024 I think short food video content will continue to stay relevant but long-form content will also make a comeback. This would be interesting to witness. The second thing would be how much value you add to people’s lives with your content. The third would be deploying AI, Trending Music and other tools in your content creation process. That I think will be a game change for a lot of creators. 

Hearing Preetha Athrey speak about her passion clubbed with her expertise has been a learning experience for us as well. Ultimately, Preetha Athrey’s fusion of culinary passion, practicality, and social media savviness has not only enriched her own life but also served as a guiding light for those seeking delicious yet manageable recipes in an ever-evolving digital age.