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Meet Charith N. Silva: The wild cook behind Wild Cookbook

24 Oct 2021

By Mahika Panditha As I have said before, TikTok is just one of those platforms that allow you to learn about so many things and many people. Earlier this week, we had the chance to have a quick chat with Charith N. Silva; you may know him from YouTube and TikTok – he is the man behind Wild Cookbook! Charith is a chef and entrepreneur, and hopes to be successful in his field. He is part of a family of six and is currently working at a renowned hotel in Sri Lanka. These days, he spends most of his time creating content on TikTok and YouTube. He never thought he would be a chef, but here he is! Some of his recipes are absolutely amazing and I highly recommend you check them out, but before I give too much away – have a read!   Talk to us about Wild Cookbook. How did you start it? I created Wild Cookbook on YouTube first. But with the Covid-19 outbreak and the curfews, I had to stay at home most of the time. I couldn’t do the YouTube videos as I planned. Then, because I had plenty of time those days, I wanted to start doing content about what I know on TikTok too. I chose TikTok because it is one of the fastest-growing social media platforms and it’s a good opportunity to build up an international audience there. Many people in Sri Lanka didn’t have a positive attitude towards TikTok. Most of my friends too. So I thought why not give it a try, because I haven’t seen any Sri Lankan cooking content in TikTok by that time. That’s how I started Wild Cookbook on YouTube and TikTok. It was not easy at the beginning; I had so many challenges and obstacles. Sometimes I felt like I was just wasting my time. But I decided not to give up. In the end, both TikTok and YouTube got better feedback than I ever thought. I’m so happy about that. Now Wild Cookbook is available on Facebook and Instagram too.   What’s the story behind the name? Actually, I wanted to create culinary content together with nature first. That’s why I created the Wild Cookbook name. But then with the Covid-19 outbreak, I couldn’t do it and had no choice but to make videos indoors. But I really liked that name and thought of keeping it as I thought the word “wild” would fit in many ways.   How did you get into cooking? After school, I selected culinary arts for my higher studies, with the influence of my family. Through that I started my career in this field and with time I realised that my passion is for cooking, so I started exploring more about it.   Where do you get your recipes from and how do you come up with the more unique ones? I love to experiment with food and create unique dishes. And I always explore new tastes and recipes worldwide. With the influence of those, I love to create recipes in my own way. I always believe cooking is an art and I try to get influence from our traditional dishes in Sri Lanka for my recipes.   What is your favourite dish to make and eat? I really like the maqlooba, the Middle Eastern rice, made by me. I find it so tempting to cook it and I really enjoy eating it. If I have to name a Sri Lankan dish, that’s imbul kiribath.   What is a dish you recommend to everyone? I would recommend any balanced meal that is tasty and healthy. From my recipes so far, I would recommend my octopus kalu pol curry, or mac and cheese.   How did you transition between YouTube and TikTok? Tell us about that process. Youtube and TikTok are two completely different platforms. So it’s not easy to balance both. I have to try different recipes, and different filming and editing for these two. But I try my best to manage both well and give the same amount of attention to both platforms.   Do you have any advice for people who want to start cooking or even start a cooking channel on media platforms? If you really like doing it, do it no matter how hard it is. You may feel it’s hard at the beginning, but do not give up if it makes you happy. Just do it. Make it your passion. We should always do the things we like and what makes us happy. Otherwise it’s just a waste of time. Focus on creativity.   PHOTOS © Navod Deshapriya


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