Profile of Noted Indian Chef Raghavan Iyer

♪♪ >> Cathy: RAGHAVAN IYER IS ONE OF THE BEST INDIAN COOKS IN AMERICA AND HE LIVES RIGHT HERE IN MINNESOTA.

IYER WAS BORN AND RAISED IN MUMBAI.

HE ARRIVED IN MARSHALL, MINNESOTA IN THE 1980S TO GO TO SCHOOL AND HIS EXPERIENCES THERE LIT HIS PASSION FOR THE FLAVORS OF HIS HOMELAND AND SHARING THEM WITH OTHERS.

REPORTER KAOMI LEE GOT TO MEET WITH IYER WHO IS NOW ON HIS FINAL DEATH ADVENTURE.

>> WHEN RAGHAVAN IYER COOKS, THERE'S COLOR, TEXTURE AND SPICES.

>> I EAT WITH ALL MY SENSES, YOU KNOW?

>> IYER AND IS THE JAMES BEARD AWARD WINNING AUTHOR OF HIS BOOKS ON THE CURRY TRAIL.

AT AGE 61 HE'S STILL TEACHING.

HE'S SHOWING ME HOW TO MAKE A SAVORY INDIAN DISH OF TAPIOCA PEARLS, PEANUTS AND SPICES.

AS SOMEBODY WHO PREPARES INDIAN FOOD FROM A JAR THIS SEEMS APPROACHABLE EVEN FOR A NOVICE INDIAN FOOD COOK LIKE ME.

>> YOU KNOW WHAT I LOVE IS THAT THE FLAVORS HAVE SO MUCH IMPACT.

>> IYER HAS BEEN SHARING HIS KNOWLEDGE FOR DECADES.

>> MY NAME IS RAGHAVAN IYER, I'M A JAMES BEARD AWARD WINNING CULL NATURERY EDUCATOR, AUTHOR AND CONSULTANT.

>> IN 198.

1982 RAGHAVAN ARRIVED IN SOUTHERN MINNESOTA TO DO GREAT THINGS AND HE HAS.

>> REALLY IT'S THE HOUSEMADE KIMCHI.

>> IYER ALSO APPEARED ON TPT'S SERIES "RELISH."

>> EXPLAIN THAT A LITTLE BIT TO ME.

>> SPICY IS NOT A TASTE ELEMENT BUT HOT IS.

THIS DISH IS ALL ABOUT BALANCE AND THAT'S WHAT WE'RE CREATING IN THIS.

>> HOW DOES IT FEEL TO BE CALLED AN ICON?

>> IT'S A TERMINOLOGY I REALLY WOULD NOT HAVE ASSIGNED TO MYSELF.

>> TO UNDERSTAND RAGHAVAN YOU HAVE O KNOW HIS BACK STORY.

RAISED IN THE LARGE CITY OF MUMBAI A YOUNG CHEMISTRY GRADUATE CAME TO MINNESOTA ON A WHIM.

>> I FRANKLY I CHOSE THE CHEAPEST UNIVERSITY, WHICH WAS MARSHALL, MINNESOTA.

>> AS A YOUNG GAY INDIAN MAN, HE NEEDED SOMETHING DIFFERENT.

MSU ALSO HAD A WELL REGARDED HOSPITALITY PROGRAM.

HE MET HIS LIFE PARTNER TERRY ERICKSON THERE, BUT ASIDE FROM POTATOES AND ONIONS THE LOCAL STORES HAD HIM IN DESPAIR.

>> DESOLATE.

IT WAS LIKE WHAT AM I DOING HERE?

>> THERE WAS HOWEVER SOMETHING STRANGE CALLED CURRY POWDER.

>> I WASN'T A GOOD COOK.

I CAME HERE AND LEARNED HOW TO COOK.

I LEARNED HOW TO BOIL WATER.

AND MY FIRST MEALS WAS SPRINKLED LIBERALLY WITH CURRY POWDER BECAUSE THAT'S ALL THAT WAS AVAILABLE AT THE TIME.

>> .

IN THOSE EARLY DAYS HE LEARNED HOW TO BECOME A BRIDGE.

>> THE THING ABOUT RAGHAVAN THAT I FIND I ADMIRE SO MUCH, HE CAN TAKE THE MOST COMPLEX CONCEPT, HISTORY HAT'S LIKE A BOWL OF SPAGHETTI, IT'S NOT STRAIGHTFORWARD, IT'S NOT EASY JUST TO SHARE, AND HE CAN MAKE IT UNDERSTANDABLE AND EXCITING.

>> LYNN CASPER HOSTED THE SPLENDID TABLE RADIO PROGRAM FOR 22 YEARS.

RAGHAVAN WAS ONE OF HER FAVORITE GUESTS.

IYER FOLLOWED IN THE STEPS OF COOKBOOK AUTHORS AND ARRIVED AT THE SCENE AT THE RIGHT TIME.

>> HE CAME AT IT FROM A DIFFERENT STANCE.

STILL THE AUTHENTICITY, STILL THE INCREDIBLE TASTE BUT NOT RECIPES THAT WERE MULTI-PAGES LONG AND TRYING TO WORK WITH WHAT WE CAN BUY IN A SUPERMARKET.

>> TO ME COOKING WAS CATHARTIC.

IT WAS ALSO A WAY FOR ME TO SHOWCASE MY CULTURE.

>> IYER SAYS HE WAS ONCE EMBARRASSED TO BE INDIAN, A SOUTH ASIAN, BUT WRITING AND COOKING WAS HIS WAY TO CONNECT PEOPLE.

NOW HE'S ON HIS FINAL JOURNEY.

IYER HAS BEEN LIVING WITH STAGE FOUR COLORECTAL CANCER FOR THE PAST FIVE YEARS.

HE TURNED IN HIS LATEST BOOK TRACING CURRY FROM ITS NDIAN ROOTS, BETWEEN CHEMO TREATMENTS.

>> I SAT DOWN AT THE COMPUTER AND SAID YOU KNOW WHAT?

I DON'T HAVE CONTROL OVER CANCER BUT I HAVE CONTROL OVER MY DEADLINE.

>> YER KNOWS HIS OWN TIME IS COMING TO AN END.

HE SAYS TERRY, THEIR SON ROBERT, HIS FAMILY IN INDIA AND MANY FRIENDS HE'S MADE ALONG THE WAY ARE HIS LEGACY.

>> I DON'T WANT TO SAY I LEFT BEHIND SEVEN BOOKS, AN EMMY, HANDFUL OF JAMES BEARD, JULIA CHILD AWARDS.

YEAH, THEY WERE MEANINGFUL, THEY WERE, YOU KNOW, THEY SERVED A PURPOSE, THEY MADE MY CAREER WHAT THEY WERE.

BUT AT THE END OF HE DAY IT'S MY RELATIONSHIPS THAT I'M LEAVING BEHIND.