- Laughter has a special way of bringing people together.

This just so happens to be 17 years worth of laughs that Santhoshi Radhakrishnan and her husband Suresh share at their dining room table in Fort Mill.

(couple speaking in foreign language) It's a love story that began in India, then brought them to the US where they started their family.

What makes this couple unique is that they had an arranged marriage.

- When I tell that my marriage is an arranged marriage, people get really fascinated, like how do people marry someone they never knew before?

- [Dara] The answer is it's a very detailed process.

Santhoshi says, it began with her husband's family selecting her picture from a matchmaker.

Next, they went to an astrologer to make sure the couple's horoscopes lined up.

Then they reached out to her parents to schedule a day for the couple and both families to meet.

- When I saw him for the first time, I just heard this, if you're gonna miss this person, you're gonna miss something really precious.

I just heard it.

I believe it's a sign from God.

And then I knew this was the right person.

(pan sizzling) - [Dara] And nearly two decades later, you can still feel the love she has for her husband as she adds the perfect amount of spices to one of his favorite dishes, chicken tikka masala.

You see, Indian cooking is all about the spice.

That's something she learned from her mom as a child.

- I started to cook when I was maybe in middle school, I guess?

I love cooking.

I don't really understand or know how it happened, but I just always felt like cooking fascinates me.

It's magical.

- [Dara] Like many parents, her dad had his own dream that he wanted her to pursue, chemical engineering.

- He thought that it would be a better option for me and I get it because he believes that it's a great opportunity for me to study chemical engineering, get a good job, and I understand that.

But my heart always kept going back to cooking.

- [Dara] Then one day she got the idea to host cooking classes.

- Welcome to Santhoshi's Kitchen.

- [Dara] Allowing her to do what she loves and still have time for her family.

- To me it's a great happiness, you know, to watch her grow, watch her do her career.

So when she has a dream and she wants to pursue her, you know, cooking studio and cooking class, I'm just going with her flow and supporting her.

- So this is the tamarind.

It's a sweet and sour fruit.

- [Dara] Inside Santhoshi's Kitchen in Fort Mill is where Santhoshi comes to life, with a small intimate group as she teaches them about her native cuisine and the power of green chili peppers, which really turn up the heat.

- And then I shared it with everyone.

When I teach people how to cook and when they taste the food and they go like, it's great.

It's the best feeling.

That's the best feeling I could get.

- [Dara] Another feeling that satisfies her are the friendships she's made in her classes.

- We went to her home for the first class and it turned out it was her first cooking class.

So I'm like, I'm like number one, I'm like the first cooking student and it was so interesting and so much fun.

- You are going to use mustard seeds and (indistinct).

- [Dara] That was nearly 10 years ago.

And when you see them today, it looks like Chris Zimmerman and her husband Jerry have known Santhoshi for decades.

- I had no idea what was going to be coming down the road, but now I go to her kids' school plays, they come to our parties.

We're just close friends.

We all enjoy game night.

And so it really has enriched my life in a big way.

- Adrian, hi, I'm Rhonda.

- [Dara] And camaraderie is a common ingredient in the cooking classes.

Everybody here didn't know each other, but now they're just over there having a great time and telling their life stories and really connecting.

I think that food, especially in a setting like this, is a real connector and a bonding experience.

- [Dara] The joy is evident for first timer Rhonda Parks as she cooks with a smile.

- Just being with these other people who were really enjoying the moment of cooking and Santhoshi explaining everything, but yet allowing us to do the cooking.

- She was surprised to discover how in depth the class was.

- I wasn't expecting to actually learn as much as I did about Indian food.

Santhoshi taught us about each part of our meal, where it came from and what it meant to her as far as how they cook it in India.

And it did open my eyes quite a bit on another culture that I had no idea that even existed and I really appreciated it.

- [Dara] And for Santhoshi, that's what it's all about.

Bringing people together, one tasty bite at a time.

For "Carolina Impact", I'm Dara Khaalid.