Ammini Ramachandran

Ms. Ammini Ramachandran, age 81, passed away on August 16, 2024.

Ammini was born in Chittur, Kerela to VKR Menon and Ambica Ambat on December 31, 1942. Ammini married Rama Ramachandran from Cochin, Kerela on January 31, 1964 in Guruvayur Temple, Thrissur, India.

In 1970, Rama came to Rhode Island to attend grad school and Ammini followed in 1971. It was while a wife of a grad student, Ammini's cooking skills began to flourish. She entered a contest in the Providence Journal and won $1,000 for her baklava recipe. (A recipe that is still a favorite among her friends.) Following Rama's graduation, Ammini moved from freezing Rhode Island to sunny Dallas. And the two kids followed them there. For many years, Ammini was home maker, den mother and soccer mom. It was also in Dallas she discovered her other big passion in life - The Dallas Cowboys. She was a devoted from Super Bowl seasons to 1-15 seasons. Everyone knew not to disturb Ammini when The Boys were playing.

As the children got older, Ammini decided to go back to school and got her MBA at SMU. And began her second career - initially at Arthur Young and eventually with a private family office. In 1985, when the kids were in college, Rama and Ammini moved to New York City where Ammini continued her business career working as a credit analyst for Sumitomo Bank, Rabobank and Banco di Napoli.

After taking early retirement from Banco di Napoli, she began her third career in food history. She originally began researching foods her mom made but never wrote down. That started her down a path where she was researching the origins of foods, recipes and how they spread and influenced cuisine around the world. Based on feedback from foodies, she decided to collect her memories and recipes in growing up in Kerala and published "Grains, Greens, and Grated Coconuts: Recipes and Remembrances of a Vegetarian Legacy". The book was reviewed favorably in the New York Times, Saveur, and other publications. She was invited to give cooking demonstrations around the country including Central Market and the Culinary Institute of America. In 2007, she was awarded the Cordon d'Or at the Annual International Cookbook and Culinary Arts Academy Awards.

She is survived by husband Rama Ramachandran; son Raghu Ramachandran, daughter-in-law Jo-Ann Curley; son Rama Ramachandran; sisters Girija Narayanan and Rathi Ramachandran; niece Radha Bhaman; nephew Ranjit Narayanan; nephew Paddu Ramachandran; niece Meena Ramachandran; and grand-nieces Salonee Bhaman, Annika Bhaman and Anitha Ramachandran. She was preceded in death by VKR Menon (Father), Ambica Ambat (Mother).

Ammini's favorite charity was World Center Kitchen (wck.org)