Check out 20-year-old Vinamra Arolkkar’s skills on his YouTube channel ‘The Special Cook’

20-year-old Vinamra Vijay Arolkkar from Mumbai is an aspiring chef. He has a YouTube channel ‘The Special Cook’ which is gathering a lot of attention. Vinamra cooks simple and delicious recipes which are easy to make at home. He hopes to build a career with his culinary skills. Read on to know more about Vinamra and his passion for cooking.

Cooking can be fun and exciting for many people. For 20-year-old Vinamra Vijay Arolkkar from Mumbai, cooking and experimenting with his culinary skills means much more than just fun. This youngster who was diagnosed with autism at the age of four is a passionate cook. He recently started his own YouTube channel, ‘The Special Cook’, where he posts some simple and delicious recipes for his followers. Vinamra is likely to take over his mother Prarthana Arolkkar‘s catering business.

Vinamra’s journey

Vinamra’s mother Prarthana is his biggest support system. He attended playschool, but started facing difficulties during that time. His teachers observed that he was not mingling with other children. He had only need based talks and that is when Prarthana decided to consult him to a psychologist where he was diagnosed with autism.

Vinamra was diagnosed with delayed developmental milestones and mild autism. Immediately, we started therapies for him and that did help. He loved cooking since his young age. He even did his schooling from a regular school where he scored good marks along with other children- Prarthana Arolkkar.

Academically a good student, this youngster scored 85 percent in his class 10 and 74 percent for commerce stream in class 12. Currently, he is doing a diploma course in multimedia. But cooking remains his passion, something that is close to his heart.

Tryst with cooking

Prarthana had observed that since a very young age, Vinamra was interested in cooking. He used to keenly observe his mother in the kitchen and wanted to know everything about cooking. He loves to make dishes from rice. He still does!

“He always used to follow me in the kitchen. He loves chopping vegetables and helping me with tasks. Vinamra slowly developed an interest in culinary skills. In fact, all this helped in his fine motor skills too”, says Prarthana.

It was Prarthana’s daughter who suggested an exclusive YouTube channel for Vinamra. On 20 April 2020, they kick-started ‘The Special Cook’. Every Monday, Vinamra puts up new recipes for his followers. Almost five recipes have been put till date and Vinamra has been getting good responses for it as well.

Prarthana had a catering business in her house, which she has currently stopped. She hopes Vinamra will take it over in the coming years. He can earn a living and build a career with his culinary skills as well.

“I would tell all parents to identify their child’s strengths and help them concentrate on their potential. Every child is special and gifted. I reached out to Vinamra and that is why he could identify his skills and follow his passion”, says Prarthana.

Watch in Sign Language

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