About
I am Sneh and I cook, write, and tweet from gorgeous Sydney, Australia. I am a designer, illustrator, photographer and food stylist. Cook Republic is my creative playground and memory keeper. It is my corner shop, a place for my food musings, a stage for the photographs I love to shoot.
The seeds of Cook Republic were sown in 2003 when I started a personal recipe database called Gel’s Kitchen. Blogging was an alien concept back then and I was using Gel’s Kitchen to record recipes that I cooked and liked. By 2007, I had started blogging and found it to be an amazing medium to share my culinary adventures. After nearly 6 years of food blogging on Gel’s Kitchen, I rebranded to Cook Republic and I am loving this new direction and journey.
Cook Republic is a very creative, colorful space smattered with quirky food props, beautifully designed cookbooks, fancy silver spoons, warm natural light, unusual teapots, gorgeous French linen and vintage cheese boards. It is where beautiful logos and illustrations for small food related businesses, events and publications are designed, food is applauded and photographed. It is where memories are made, one recipe at a time!
I have spent the last seven years inventing and exploring healthy, nutrient rich recipes for myself and my family that I share on the blog regularly. That has helped immensely towards me shedding 20kg over the course of time, that and running. And then of course there are naughty and sinful recipes that I couldn’t live without. Shoe crazy? Not me. Books and cookbooks have that kind of an effect on me. I test recipes from cookbooks on the blog all the time. I am always on the hunt for a special silver spoon, or a gold rimmed enamel plate or an unusual cooking/photography prop. I have been trying to grow a lot of fresh veggies and fruits in my garden. And the stories I could tell you about Mario, Luigi, Yoshi and Toad our four crazy chooks, could fill up an entire book. I am a hopeless foodie and to know more about my deepest fears and triumphs, have a gander at 38 Confessions Of A Food Blogger And Foodie.
Cook Republic has helped me grow immensely as a cook and a food photographer. It has received amazing response and acceptance from the food community both online and offline. I have connected with like minded foodies and met some amazing people along the way. Cook Republic has been nominated for several awards in the past few years (has won a few!) and is regularly featured on leading online and print publications. My dream is to publish a cookbook illustrated and photographed by me and to bring to life my Organic Town & Marketville food characters.
Finally to end my monologuing, I like to think that with every recipe I cook and every photograph I capture, I learn something new and share something different with this world. If you want to see and read more of my work and passions, check out my design blog LBOI and Portfolio. To get my attention, email me!
Hi there Sneh,
I chanced onto this site by way of googling cafe style recipes and have added you to my favourites, your story telling along with the fabulous recipes makes for an interesting visit.
Arent our fondest memories of food surrounded by family, friends and perhaps far away places visited in our lifetimes?
I shall share your site with my friends who are also time poor in this fast paced world.
Thanks again.
Suzana
Hi Sneh! I came across your profile through some design blogs and landed on LBOI and then here! I must say I’m very inspired by your journey and work, both design and cooking! This is a beautiful site! I’ve subscribed to it and look forward to your superb posts! Lots of love.
Hullo SNeh, well i landed on ur blog a bit ago ,looking for a recipe, and found ur space absolutely interesting which led me to this page, loved reading about ya, and loved everything i read.
Yup ,happy to meet u and hope ur too:-)))
I can’t remember how I stumbled onto your blog,
but I love your recipes.
I even advertise for you. My friend’s already baked your
potato sundried tomato bread.
I’m studying for an exam and will reward myself (and everyone I love) with your recipe for rose petal coconut fudge. It looks wicked good.
BTW I saw you bought Food of India off ebay. My mom has the book and I got a copy for my husband. It is excellent. Have you made the Parsi Chicken with Apricots yet? It’s delicious and so easy.
Thanks for sharing!
Colette
Hi Sneh,
I’m newly married & settled in UAE.Have only recently started cooking and my husband’s a total foodie & loves anything tasty. I found your website through Google and loved the look & feel of it.I’m definitely going to try some of the recipes you have here. Btwn, have you tried making Shrimp Cocktail?We had it once & it tasted so yummy…my husband’s after me to try it out at home. Any suggestions on a good & quick recipe?!!
Happy Cooking!
Preethi
Hi Sneh! I’ve just updated my site and I added a link to Cook Republic. But I used the picture of the Sweet Goddess for the link. I hope that’s alright with you.
ps. I love your blog!
So glad I found you! what a great blog.
Just found your blog. I love it so much. I cant wait for many more great reads, delicious recipes and beautiful pics
Heidi xo
Hi Sneh,
Great to browse through your blog.
Mind send me an email for a bigger chat?
Thanks
Kat
great works . i like it.
So glad to have come across your website. Delicious recipes and love the photographs!
Hi Sneh
Your story is a wonderful one. I loved reading about you & your love of food and all that goes with it. I too share this strong love so really enjoyed the read & love that I have just stumbled upon this site (lucky me!). Happy cooking! Nellie
Loving, and now following, your gorgeous space! I’m just as blasé about shoes, and I’d exchange my best pair for an olde-world teapot from a thrift shop, any day. It’s great to connect with you, Sneh. I’m going to go browse some more.
Hey Sneh, so glad to have found your blog. Losing and then maintaining a 55lb weight loss is awesome. Cannot wait to read more!
PS: I am from Mumbai too
HI Sneh,
I have been a keen follower of your work and ideas on LBOI and now cook republic! Im a creative as well, and recently have become a mummy too! I was trying to mums in my area around Coogee, Centennial park to have a chat about typography and visit an art gallery. I have scavenged my way in mums groups and have failed at an attempt to find someone on a similar wavelength. Having said that I love your work and would love to pick your brain sometime in person or online about anything creative..:) Im as of now, trying to get used to being a mummy so have your delicious recipes to look forward to! And being an Indian myself, madly in love with anything edible (vegetarian in my case)
Do get in touch. Have a great friday afternoon!
Regards
Prerna
Sneh, your blog is so beautiful. The pictures talk, they make me want to pick my camera and ladel both together, cook and take wonderful pictures. I am definitely going to try out your recipes and pick up inspiration for taking better photos of what I cook.
Shruti´s last [type] ..Thai Red Curry
Sneh, you have a gorgeous blog here. I loved reading about how it’s evolved over time, and the joy and new experiences it has brought you. And your photographs are stunning. I’m so glad to have found your blog
Hey Sneh! Stumbld across your blog via the DMBLGiT contest and am so glad I found this wonderful, warm, beautiful space
Love the photographs, the recipes and the write-ups! Looking forward to browse through the pages some more!
congratulations one more time for your real sensibility for bread. i would like to join you by email if i may. happy new year Sneh. Jean-Philippe, writer, journalist, bread’s lover, from Paris
Hi Sneh
Beautiful blog , inspiring journey . Look forward to reading more of your posts.
Cheers !