Maitreyi Ramakrishnan dishes on her first Tim Hortons collab and the best food city in Canada
Never Have I Ever star Maitreyi Ramakrishnan manifested her first Tim Hortons collab after she tweeted about the Canadian staple last year.
“I tweeted last year that I’d missed Tims while I was away from home and that led to a super fun experience visiting the Tim Hortons Test Kitchen in Toronto with my brother and mom,” she said.
I missed Tim Hortons
— Maitreyi Ramakrishnan (@ramakrishnannn) August 25, 2022
Fast forward to 2023 and Ramakrishnan and her brother Vishwaa are the stars in a new Tim Hortons TV commercial for its sweet new menu items — the Dream Cookies.
“We all got to have a sneak peek of the Dream Cookies recipes that were still being developed. I was already obsessed with the cookies at Tims, but these Dream Cookies are just beyond,” she said.
Daily Hive got to catch up with the actor, who hails from Mississauga, Ontario, at Tim Hortons’ HQ in Toronto.
She had the room laughing as she dished on co-starring with her brother in a Tim Hortons ad, her go-to Tims order, the city with the best food scene in Canada, and life after Never Have I Ever.Â
How does it feel to be partnering with Tim Hortons?
It’s awesome. I’ve always been a Tim Hortons girlie and I grew up on their cookies with my brother and my family. So, it’s kind of surreal that this is happening.
I even got to do the commercial with my brother, which is very interesting because clearly one of us is meant to be an actor, one of us isn’t, it’s okay. But it’s been really, really fun.
How was it getting to shoot the Tim Hortons commercial with your brother?
It was a great shoot and then I had to remind my brother that he has to say his lines to me, and I’m in the scene with him. He forgot that part and suddenly start freaking out. So, I did have to kind of talk him off the ledge, but it’s okay. He made it through. It was his first acting gig and wow, it’s rough. I’m so dogging on him. It’s fine. We did really great.
Does he have a career in acting?
No, that’s mine. Not his. It’s okay.
Which Tim Hortons dream cookies are your favourite?
The M&Ms one definitely, probably because of the colours. I just like colourful cookies. But also I do like M&M’S, especially mini M&M’S.
Which dream cookie best represents Devi’s personality, your character on Never Have I Ever?
That’s a good question. Probably Rocky Road, actually yeah. Her life’s a rocky road.
Growing up, what was your go-to order at Tim Hortons?
Tim Hortons
My mom would always give us an oatmeal raisin cookie because they’re healthier than a chocolate chip cookie. So, it was a compromise. But I think the reason why I like oatmeal raisin cookies is because of that conditioning. I’m not complaining. I do like oatmeal raisin, they’re great.
And an everything bagel toasted with herb and garlic cream cheese. That’s a classic. I think for the longest time I thought that that’s just what bagels are like saying that whole “everything bagel toasted was with herb and garlic cream cheese” like that is just a bagel. And then I found out that there’s others. There’s other bagels.
Never Have I Ever filmed in LA — what Canadian food or restaurant did you crave when you were there?
Literally Tim Hortons. I’m not even joking.
I actually crave Tims because I love their hot chocolate. So, I was specifically craving a good Timmies hot chocolate and everything bagel toasted with herb and garlic cream cheese because that’s the only bagel. I swear I didn’t know there were other bagels out there when I was a kid.
When you come back home to Canada, what’s the first restaurant you go to?
I don’t know about a restaurant, but the first thing actually I generally get is my grandma’s home-cooked food. Yeah, queue the “aww.” I’m good with that. I don’t want to go out when I come home. I just want to chill.
And then being a good Mississauga, suburban girlie, it truly means hopping in the car with my friends late at night. Everything is closed except Tim Hortons. Like truly that’s what it is. This is what happens when you’re a suburban kid.
Do you have any recommendations for Tamil restaurants in Mississauga or Toronto?
Kerala Curry House is great, I just got takeout from there yesterday. But then again I’m so biased because I always think grandma’s Tamil food’s the best.
But I think like, you ask any Tamil person and they’ll probably tell you that their family’s stuff is the best.
What’s your favourite dish that your grandma makes?
It’s like a lentil curry. In Tamil we say parripu, but some people say dahl, but that would be my favourite.
Which city in Canada has the best food scene?
Toronto, easy. Okay, I can’t say I’ve been to many other cities, especially outside of like Ontario, but hear me out. We have so much diversity.
There are so many immigrant communities that settle and find homes here. And then we have so many mom-and-pop shops that come about because of that, so we got authentic food all in one hub. Definitely Toronto.
With Never Have I Ever having wrapped now, what’s next for you?
Truly enjoying my Mississauga girl summer. Literally the other day I went around Square One and I just walked with my pals. I usually walk in and out with a goal, but this time, I regressed to my high school self and I just walked and window shopped, and it was beautiful. I need a little bit of a breather to just live and enjoy life.
Next up, Canada’s Wonderland. It’s gonna be great. I want to focus on just making myself happy.
You’re back in university…what are you studying and have you learned anything from how Devi approaches studies that you apply IRL and vice versa?
I got to York because I can hold a fork. I’m getting my degree in human rights and equity studies. I feel like I’ve always noticed about Devi, a big difference between us is that she is so worried about the grade and like the number. I’ve never been that person. I am C’s get degrees. I am also team “you don’t need a degree to be smart.” I’m not team like “glorify university.”
I can’t wait to get my degree though just so when people say like, “Oh, wow, I wish my kid was like you,” I would say like, “I wish your kid does whatever they want.” And if they don’t want to go to university that’s so valid and real and just like let them learn what they want in whichever way they want. If that means go travel the world, go do it. And if that means roam around Square One — please revisit your choice and maybe circle back on that.
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