Hayan Abdulla of Feroke who is only nine-year-old has entered the Asia Book of Records and the India Book of Records by cooking 172 dishes, including biryanis, juices, pancakes, dosas, salads, milk shakes and chocolates, in one hour. Cooking became his hobby when he was just four. “He showed interest in cooking and began helping me in kitchen,” said Rasha Abdulla, Hayan’s mother.
Starting out so early is not surprising given that he belongs to a family that runs a chain of restaurants in Chennai. His father Hashnas Abdulla is from Payyoli and mother is from Feroke. “My family noticed that I cook fast. Then I thought why not work on it and be different. For the past one week, I have been recording the time of my cooking. There were no special preparations for the competition,” said Hayan, who is a Class III student of Sherwood Hall Senior Secondary School in Chennai.
Because of Covid-19 regulations, the competition took place online. He owns a YouTube channel called Hayan Delicacies which explains the making of various dishes in detail in three languages — English, Malayalam and Tamil. While he is passionate about cooking, Hayan aspires to become a pilot. His dream culinary venture is to set up a pasta bar.