Celebrity chefs Nik Michael Imran and Sarah Benjamin compete again in Cooking For Love Season 2, writes Bibi Nurshuhada Ramli
IN all competitions, rivalry is an essential element. Chefs Sarah Benjamin and Nik Michael Imran are going head-to-head in AFC programme Cooking For Love, Season 2, which premiers on Thursday, Oct 27.
“Sarah’s cooking has finally improved from Season 1,” quips Nik.
Sarah huffs and retorts: “Nik has surprisingly managed to become meaner! Luckily we have our own kitchen; how can I concentrate with this annoying person next to me?”
Jokes aside, they know each other better now and are more comfortable working together. “We’ve developed a more intense sibling rivalry,” says Nik, “but when we’re off camera, we help each other out.”
“I won’t ever sabotage his dishes, like secretly putting in sugar or salt,” Sarah quips.
“Last season, she was very apprehensive whenever I went near her dishes,” Nik reveals, laughing. “This time around, she’s more relaxed.”
“I was like, ‘If you want to help out, go ahead’,” she adds.
UNIQUELY ENTERTAINING
Both Nik and Sarah developed an interest in cooking from young. In 2011, Nik was one of the 24 finalists of MasterChef Malaysia while Sarah won in cooking competition Food Hero (2014).
They now co-host Cooking For Love, a cooking show with a heart. The two use their kitchen skills and creativity to outdo each other in cooking special meals for six families.
Each episode features a family’s unique story, from which the competitive duo must draw culinary inspiration to come up with their final dishes. The family will decide who best captures what they wish for in a joyous meal.
“They just brief us on the kind of dishes and ingredients they like and dislike,” explains Nik. “Then Sarah and I discuss with each other what we plan to cook so we won’t clash.”
Sarah says: “It’s like a big party. You want a variety of things to eat.”
They reveal that in this season the families were open-minded.
“The challenge remains the same: Finding a balance between the dishes you want to cook and what they want to eat,” says Sarah.
“You still have to respect your cooking style, so it is all about bringing the two elements together.”
OUTSIDE THE BOX
The two chefs have gained much experience from Season 1. For Season 2, no request was too tall for them.
“However, once we had to cook for a Thai family, who apparently thought our pedas food is at kids’ level,” says Sarah.
“They kept saying, ‘You think you know cili padi (birdseye chillies). You don’t’,” adds Nik.
Everything else was too bland for them.
“Sarah and I are not Thai, but we had to cook authentic Thai food for Thai people who run a Thai catering business. It was crazy!” says Nik.
This challenging element is still thrilling for the chefs, as it expands their cooking skills. “We had our own styles, but when we were asked to cook Vietnamese dishes, for example, we had no choice but to learn, and do lots of research,” says Sarah.
In the last season, one challenge was to cook a Peranakan meal. It was a walk in the park for Sarah, who is half-Peranakan, but Nik had to learn everything from scratch.
“You can imagine the pressure! But unfortunately for Sarah, I won the challenge,” Nik says, grinning.
“Every Peranakan family thinks their recipe is the best. ‘This is not how grandma does it’,” mimicks Sarah. “I was like, ‘Well, I don’t want to compete with your grandma, so I better cook a fusion dish’.
“In the end, they liked the traditional dish that Nik cooked. I was really happy for him, because when we were discussing with the Peranakan family, he looked so lost,” she adds with a laugh.
Nik says since they already are passionate about food, it’s difficult to sit down and learn about cooking all over again. The show gives them the right kind of motivation.
“When people entrust you with a party, you want to do everything you can,” says Sarah.
ADDED VALUE
Meeting the families from different backgrounds also proved to be a heartwarming experience too. “To decide on what to cook, we asked the families what dishes were meaningful to them. We like to find out about the story behind these dishes and bring back memories through our cooking,” explains Sarah.
For example, one family wanted to celebrate the birthday of their late patriarch, so their memories of him played a big role in the menu.
“I felt like we were part of the celebration when they shared their stories with us and like part of their family as well,” says Nik.
“For us chefs, it’s important to cook up a good meal that the families will love, but what’s more important is seeing the family members enjoy each other’s company during the feast,” adds Sarah.
Nik says Cooking For Love may be a show but it isn’t staged. “We put in our effort in, and the reactions are real. Everyone was happy with what we whipped up and had a great time. That’s our overall goal.”
MISSION ACCOMPLISHED
The two chefs are proud of their dishes on the show. Sarah loves her Salted Caramel Banoffee Chocolate Pavlova, while Nik’s favourite is his Hokkien Mee With Wagyu Beef.
After two seasons, they have learnt a lot about each other. “I know now to never challenge Sarah when it comes to dessert,” says Nik.
Sarah admits: “I really admire how Nik doesn’t necessarily stick to rules. A family may say they like certain ingredients, but Nik goes with his guts and cooks something they haven’t asked for.”
In Season 1, for example, a family kept saying they didn’t eat fish unless it was perfectly cooked. “I told myself ‘Okay, I’m not going to touch fish’, but Nik? He cooked a whole fish, and he won!”
Nik laments: “I wasn’t as lucky this season though.”
They hope Cooking For Love stays on the air, as it is entertaining. “You see the reactions to what we cook, the ingredients we use and how it’s plated up,” says Nik.
“At the same time, it’s very watchable. It’s not just about watching someone cook, but you also get to know about people’s stories and backgrounds.”
In the future, the chefs have exciting plans for their career.
Sarah is launching her website, kitchenhoarder.com, which will contain her recipes and her adventures in travelling and eating. She’s also coming up with a cookbook.
Nik aims to form an online community of foodies and keep his cooking career growing.