Based in Gurugram, Tanya Mahajan is a food influencer with 52.1k followers and more than 500 recipes on her Instagram handle @thegrubjournal. A mother, content creator, entrepreneur, and passionate advocate for simple yet nourishing food, she has carved a unique space for herself.
Born into a family where food was integral to daily life, Tanya grew up watching her mother, grandmother, and aunts cook together. Making pickles together was more of a bonding experience than a chore. Tanya, unlike her siblings, was often interested in understanding this strange art of cooking.
Her natural curiosity about food positioned her as the family's taster. Whether it was pickles or freshly made curries, Tanya was often handed a spoonful to taste and review. Despite this, she never entered the kitchen and mastered the art of cooking before marriage.
After marriage and motherhood, Tanya began noticing certain things around her. The traditional gender roles, where women were expected to cook while men remained distant from the kitchen, made her question the root cause of this unfair standard.
Determined to contribute to this transformation by breaking these norms and adopting a fairer standard, Tanya started the Junior Chef’s Club, an initiative aimed at teaching children, both boys and girls, the importance of cooking. She believed that every individual, regardless of gender, should know how to prepare a meal for convenience and self-reliance.
Through this initiative, she encourages future generations to view cooking as a standard, necessary skill rather than a chore designated to women.
Tanya shared a funny incident she experienced during COVID. Tanya was asked to join a panel alongside many other Asian creators for an event. She was engrossed in the work when she suddenly realised she couldn’t hear her 3-year-old daughter. There were no cries, no giggles either; the house felt weirdly quiet. She got up to look for her daughter and found her in the kitchen. The little one had assembled herself a cucumber bowl. Uneven pieces of cucumber peeled and garnished with rock salt.
Tanya was shocked. At first, worry consumed her as to what if her little one had cut herself and that this was dangerous. But watching her enjoy the snack in peace calmed Tanya down. A realisation hit her then,
“I thought, what a relief to the mother; instead of making her feel guilty, why can't we teach her kids at least to make arrangements for something as small as hunger? How empowering that is for both the child and the mother!”
Tanya’s approach to food is deeply rooted in traditional Indian wisdom. She believes cooking is more than a mechanical process; it carries emotions, energy, and intention.
Tanya draws inspiration from Ayurveda and Vedic texts and acknowledges the science behind traditional Indian cooking.
She told us how the energy of the cook matters, and food made with stress or anger may not be as nourishing as food made with love. She further explained how many dishes we know to be unhealthy today; for example, Chole Bhature or pan-fried noodles, can be far less unhealthy when home-cooked with fresh ingredients, controlled and quality oil usage, and the right balance of spices.
Tanya also illuminates how the Sattvic Diet, which is a concept present in ancient Indian teachings, is the answer to a healthy and balanced lifestyle today.
Tanya is a big believer in mindful eating. Eating in such a way that it can provide nourishment, fulfil one’s nutritional needs, and help maintain one’s health. She acknowledges a gap in education when it comes to this,
“To be honest, in any system worldwide, I don't think nourishment is taught well. We are only taught what vitamins and minerals are, but you have never given that practical learning. We have never been taught this will be the issue at this age and that you will suffer if you don't eat like this today. We belong to a generation where we have been fed junk food happily, like McDonald's, Pizza Hut, and Domino's. I remember when I was young, whenever it was the weekend, it was all about birthday parties at Domino’s and hanging out at McDonald’s.”
Tanya believes education towards healthy eating is missing. As she gets older, health and nutrition are becoming a significant focus. Like many women, she experienced health issues caused by poor eating habits. That’s when she realised that food wasn’t just about taste but about nourishment, recovery, and long-term well-being.
Tanya's instagram handle is a haven for healthy and delicious food.
Determined to educate herself, she spent a year working closely with a nutritionist, learning how different foods impacted her body. This knowledge not only helped her but also allowed her to create content that emphasised quick, nutritious, and balanced meals for her audience.
She also sheds light on a common issue in traditional households: women cook for the family but neglect their own health and eat last. This act harms them more than they realise. Tanya emphasises that women, or whoever cooks the food, should eat before they feed others.
“Food is an art, not a duty.”
Tanya understands that not everyone enjoys cooking, but she encourages people to see it as an act of self-care rather than an obligation. She also challenges the notion that women must always be in the kitchen. Instead, she promotes a mindset where everyone should learn cooking as it is an essential life skill.
Somewhere or the other, this thought motivated her to start the Junior Chef’s Club.
Lastly, we asked her who had the most significant influence on her life. Tanya revealed to us that it was her mother and grandmother. Though she has created her own unique path, she acknowledges that everything she knows started somewhere. She strongly believes one cannot be self-taught; somewhere or the other, the environment they are in helps them gain that knowledge. She acknowledges how her journey may be her own, but the generations laid the foundation before her.
Tanya Mahajan has been redefining how people see cooking, health, and gender roles. A huge advocate for the de-glorification of traditional homemaking, Tanya is making tangible changes in transforming gender-based kitchen norms one step at a time. A true girl’s girl, her vision and mindset are rooted in genuine empathy for her fellow women. We are in absolute awe of this wonderful woman and wish for her strength and courage as she continues to make such positive ripples in our society.
Updated on 10 Dec 2025
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