BOMBAY TIMES (July 8, 2023)

“I don’t remember the first time I ate a chocolate, but till today if you offer me anything with chocolate in it, I will have it,” says former VJ, actress and gourmet chef Maria Goretti, as she’s adding the final touches on chocolate lava cake and cookies spread on the kitchen table. On World Chocolate Day today, the chef and author gives a sneak peek into her kitchen and the chocolate goodies she’s baked for her hubby, actor Arshad Warsi and their children.

Arshad, who is all set to cut the cake and dig into it too, jumps in and explains how he used to cook for Maria when he started dating her. “When I was dating Maria, I was the one who cooked. I made different dishes to surprise and impress her because she never cooked. I would cook for her, and she just loved my raan biryani! I am not a big fan of chocolates, but I love the way Maria makes chocolates, it’s not all sugar, you get the real taste”.

The Asur actor added, "Earlier, I used to joke with Maria how the entire world’s kids say kabhi mere maa ke haath ka khana khaya hai and in our home, it would be kabhi mere baap ke haath ka khana khaya hai as I used to cook more than her, but now it will be both (laughs)."

Maria has hosted several cooking shows and authored a cookbook. Her book titled 'From My Kitchen to Yours' won the Gourmand award in 2017. And those recipes are now posted as videos on her insta id @TheMariaGoretticorner. She adds, “Chocolate is one of my favourite ingredients, it is more than just a dessert! I remember making chocolate pasta for my kids (Zeke and Zene) when they were very young. I used to make pasta with cocoa and boil it for my kids. Now my son Zeke loves baking and cooks on his own.”

Sharing how she moved to baking and cooking from veejaying, Maria said, "I remember I had nothing to do while Arshad was busy shooting for Dhan Dhana Dhan Goal (2007) in London, so I would go out shopping. One day, I came back to the hotel with some fresh veggies and the hotel chef helped me whip up some nice dishes. That’s what got me interested in gourmet cuisine. I was still new and experimenting and remember how I had cooked a lot of prawn curry and did not know what to do, and Arshad again bailed me out, brought his gang of boys home, in London and they all ate my prawn curry."

Maria shares how she spent the entire day yesterday baking chocolate cookies, chocolate tart, cakey brownie and choco lava cake. She said, “My friends and family love my desserts specially the ones with chocolate. Chocolate not only makes you feel good, but it can also relax you. One of the desserts I make that Arshad enjoys is meringue. I remember how I used to make hundreds of chocolate muffins and kept on baking them till my kids grew up. My house used to be filled with that chocolate aroma! I am glad we are celebrating the day with some of my favourite chocolate desserts."