Celebrity chef Edwin Lau is passionate about teaching people how to be healthy by eating proper diets, writes Fong Leong Ming
WITH a chef as handsome and well-built as Edwin Lau of Indonesia, one never knows if his female fans think he or his culinary creations is more yummy.
A hunk he certainly is but I am sure he prefers that audiences zoom in on his dishes rather than his biceps which, I can’t help but observe, are rather squeeze worthy.
“I will have to charge you for that,” he says with a smile and a glint in his eye to my cheeky request for just one quick feel.
Lau is also a fitness trainer, which accounts for his Adonis build.
He actually wears many other hats — model, restaurant owner, nutritionist and even envoy for the US Department of Agriculture promoting its various products.
Being all these is well and good but Lau prefers that people recognise him as the “healthy chef”.
The yummilicious Lau is one of six chefs in TLC’s latest three-part series My Taste of Hong Kong, joining Arnold Poernomo (also from Indonesia), Anis Nabilah (Malaysia), Duangporn Songvisava (Thailand) as well as Brandon Foo and Shen Tan of Singapore.
The series takes audiences on a gastronomic adventure involving Hong Kong cuisine and promotes the city as a tourist destination.
With the participation of such regional culinary talents as well as bubbly actress cooking show host-foodie Michelle Loo as host, the series should be a fun and enriching experience.
“We are not talking about a group of chefs who merely lo ok good.
These chefs have been specially selected for their talent and substance,” says Jacqueline Tok, vice president (advertising sales) of Discovery Networks Asia Pacific, at a Press luncheon to introduce Lau.
“It’s about what we can give our viewers.
At the end of the day, we want our viewers to be immersed in all the different experiences and that is what My Taste of Hong Kong is all about.
“It is about delivering quality content and not just about delivering “a bunch of dramas” to viewers.
My Taste of Hong Kong is about giving up-and-coming chefs an opportunity
and a space. It’s for those who have
been working very hard,” she adds.
A CALLING
Lau certainly fits the bill.
He is hard-working and thoroughly passionate about cooking, delving into this career in the kitchen whole-heartedly after realising his calling at the age of 18 when he was still in college.
“But no, I have not always wanted to be a chef,” he says, anticipating my question.
“When I decided on this career, I did not even know how to switch on the stove! Believe it or not, when I was in my second semester at college studying hospitality and hotel management, I heard a voice in my head and in my heart that said: ‘Edwin, you are going to be a unique chef’.
“I was so convinced that I soon spent all my money buying ingredients and testing recipes,”says Lau, who has two older sisters.
Dad, by the way, is a contractor while mum’s a housewife.
After getting his degree, Lau worked at a Japanese restaurant.
On his resume are also stints at The Ritz- Carlton Bali and Grand Hyatt Jakarta.
In between, he modelled for a men’s health magazine and is, of course, a certified fitness coach.
HEALTHY CHEF
With his looks and his passion whipping up great meals in the kitchen, there’s no stopping his destiny to become a celebrity chef.
He actually helmed his first cooking programme on Indonesian television at 21.
“I decided to live out my dream of becoming a chef infront of the camera to teach people how to be healthy by eating proper diets,” he says.
He adds: “There is a limited number of ‘healthy chefs’ in the world.
The world needs them.
It is not always about how good the food is.
It is also about how healthy it is.” And as a “healthy chef”, Hong Kong has always appealed to him.
“The food here is always fresh,” he emphasises.
To prove his point, the media were taken to an organic farm a distance away at Hok Tau Wai in the New Territories where Lau sourced his ingredients for the show’s dishes.
Yup, everything’s organic and fresh.
We were even served freshly-plucked lady-fingers, eaten with a dip.
For the Press luncheon briefing, Lau whipped up his Asian-style curry udon, “spending hours” in the kitchen since early that morning, according to the organisers, to ensure that it is “perfect”.
His dish was one of three served, the other two were from top Japanese executive chef Masayuki Goto.
It was fusion at its best and elicited approving nods from everyone present.
In the evening, the hunky chef also sat with journalists for a sumptuous meal at the Sing Kee Seafood Restaurant in Sai Kung (which is famous for its seafront seafood restaurants).
The restaurant has been consistently awarded a One Michelin Star for its abalone dish.
The dapper Lau proved to be very knowledgeable and enlightened the media on various preparation methods and styles of cooking.
I must say his good looks and his well-toned body were serious distractions to the fine meal.
THE ‘DISH’ IS TAKEN
And now, I suppose, the answer to the inevitable question.
Yes, Lau is happily married and should be a proud dad when this article sees print.
That said, he is so passionate about his cooking that I doubt anything will change drastically even with new responsibilities looming as dad and family man.
In fact , after the interview with journalists, Lau says he will be heading for the busy streets of Hong Kong in the coming days to do what he enjoys: checking out new restaurants and meeting chefs and friends.
“I’m always on the lookout for inspiration for my cooking show and my restaurant.
I need to always stay ahead of the curve,” he says.
Handsome with brawn, brain and a talent for whipping up good food.
No wonder he is such a hit with the ladies.
As someone in my media group remarked, “I’ll marry him in a jiffy!” Take a number, girl.
My Taste of Hong Kong is a collaboration between Hong Kong Tourism Board and Discovery Networks Asia Pacific.
The series is expected to be aired in the first half of next year.