Finding freedom in food
Charith N. Silva: I just want to cook, create and share stories
When Sri Lankan chef and entrepreneur Charith N. Silva walks into his Colombo restaurant, Wildish, he carries inspiration – a boyhood of restless curiosity, an apprenticeship forged in hotel kitchens, and the faith to bet everything on a camera, a wood fire, and a feeling that food should be wild: free, joyful and shared.
At just 29, Charith is now the familiar face behind Wild Cookbook, a multi-platform brand that has redefined how Sri Lanka tells its culinary stories. This year, he became the first Sri Lankan to receive the YouTube Diamond Play Button for surpassing 10 million subscribers, while also winning the Business World International Social Media Award, and most recently, he was named to the coveted Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia list (2025) – a milestone that elevated his place as a trailblazer in food and digital storytelling.
The youngest child of four, he was born and educated in the coastal village of Balapitiya. Charith describes himself as mischievous, endlessly probing, and always experimenting when growing up. His path into cooking began with his brother-in-law, a chef working in Dubai. “I didn’t want a restricted job,” he recalls. “I wanted something creative, something alive.” That curiosity soon grew into a decision to pursue culinary arts after school. It was the first step into a world that would shape his identity and open doors he had never imagined.
Early training at Citrus Waskaduwa taught him rhythm and rigour – the invisible choreography of prep lists, knife work, timing and fire. Ambition took him to Dubai, where he absorbed global flavours and techniques but the pull of Sri Lanka never left him. “I missed home. I missed the flavours,” he admits. He returned to work at Araliya Green City and Araliya Unawatuna, while quietly dreaming of building something of his own.
What set Charith apart wasn’t training, it was temperament. Food, to him, soon became a playground. “Why did one spice transform a dish while another ruined it?” he wondered. How does smoke infuse flavour so deeply?
But what has made him stand out is his constant drive to push boundaries. “I always wanted to be my own boss,” he says. “Cooking gave me that freedom. Food is a basic need and a delicious dish is everyone’s ultimate craving.”
When Charith first launched Wild Cookbook in 2020, it was a YouTube channel. His vision was clear: combine culinary art with nature. “I wanted to create content outdoors, cooking with fire, using raw ingredients, and blending the rhythm of food with the rhythm of nature,” he explains. That’s where the name Wild Cookbook was born.
The plan was to film on beaches, by rivers, at forest edges. Then came COVID-19. Curfews pushed him indoors, but the downtime gave him a new lane: TikTok. Charith saw its potential. “It was one of the fastest-growing platforms in the world. I hadn’t seen any Sri Lankan cooking content there. I thought, why not be the first?” He saw its velocity and tried something different for Sri Lanka; short, cinematic clips, with fires crackling, food sizzling, knives slicing; it spoke a language anyone could understand. “Our videos are visual, and visuals are a global language,” he explains.
Ask where the recipes come from, he smiles. He studies techniques from everywhere, listens for echoes in Sri Lankan tradition, then experiments until the dish feels inevitable. Sometimes it fails. Often it blooms. “Cooking is an art,” he says. “I believe you can take influences from everywhere: international cuisines, traditional Sri Lankan dishes, street food and create something of your own. That’s what ‘wild’ means to me.”
Followers often comment that his dishes feel both familiar and surprising – rooted in comfort but presented with a twist. It’s a fine balance between authenticity and innovation, one that Charith continues to refine with every video.
Viewers often share their own recipes, memories or variations of his dishes. This cultural exchange excites him. “Food is universal. It brings people together. When someone in another country tries my octopus curry or shares their own version of kiribath, that’s special.”
For all the range, his comfort plate remains disarmingly simple: prawn fry, coconut sambol, dhal, and warm yellow rice, cooked at home.
Charith’s rise has been marked by a string of recognitions that reflect both his creativity and influence. It began with the New Generation Award in 2022, where he was named Best Youth Chef of the Year. The following year, in 2023, he was celebrated as Best Culinary Content Creator and won the title of Most Popular Cookery Channel. By 2024, his reach had expanded further, earning him the titles of Most Popular Cookery Channel once again, Best Culinary Content Creator, and the Social Media Icon of the Year at the Popular Awards. He also took home the Abiman Most Popular Cooking Show YouTube Personality Award, the Sumathi Sammana Digital Personality Award, and was named Abiman Most Popular TikTok Personality of the Year.
In November 2024, the screen spilled into the city with Wildish, Charith’s restaurant at Capitol TwinPeaks. Its ambience is a quiet echo of his videos: elemental yet refined – heat and smoke contained by craft. The menu moves with the market and the monsoon: woodfired meats, smoky curries, warm roast paan, and signature sips that carry the unmistakable touch of Sri Lankan authenticity presented in a way that feels fresh to global audiences.
Part of what makes Wildish distinctive is Charith’s uncompromising honesty about food. “I don’t use any ingredient I wouldn’t consume myself,” he says. It is “luxury dining” but not in the fussy sense; it’s an experience – a chance to consume the authenticity of his brand.
He invests in his staff with the same care he invests in recipes—providing meals, accommodation, and opportunities to travel and grow alongside him. Over the years, his team has become family, and their journey has been inseparable from Wild Cookbook’s rise. “For my staff, the customer comes first and they are encouraged to innovate and experiment. And for me, my staff comes first.”
Away from the kitchen, Charith values freedom over rigid schedules. Travel, discovery, and family remain anchors. Despite his celebrity status, he remains grounded and humble – close to his family and childhood roots. He admits that public recognition is flattering but also humbling. “At the end of the day, I just want to cook, create, and share stories,” he says.
Giving back is part of his rhythm. He sources ingredients locally, cooks meals for rural communities, and supports education initiatives, an act of gratitude of his simple beginnings.
With Wild Cookbook thriving online and Wildish making its presence felt in Colombo’s dining scene, Charith’s mission is clear. “The world has tasted our tea, our spices. Now it’s time they taste our food,” he says. “We have so much more than rice and curry. Every region, every village has its own flavours. I love bringing it to light.”
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