idol chef of the month.....Chef Wan Ismail

Chef Wan's Biodata
•Born Redzuawan Bin Ismail, in Singapore in 1958
• Accountant
• Professional Chef
• Food Ambassador of Malaysia
• Resident Chef to the Asian Food Channel
• Food Critic and Malaysian Magazine Writer
• Cookbook Author
• Actor
• Entrepreneur

Credentials
•Associate degree in Professional Chef Training and Hotel Management from the California Culinary Academy in San Francisco, United States
•Ritz Escoffeir Diploma (Ecole Ritz-Esscoffier De Gastronomie Francaise) from the Ritz Hotel in Paris France

International Star
•The Resident Chef (Premier Star) to the Asian Food Channel based in Hong Kong
•Chef Wan is the man behind the image of the channel. He is the face seen by millions of people throughout Asia as an international chef.
•The Brand Ambassador to Emway 1 Cookware as well as Samsung Silvernano Refrigerator and Home Appliances
•Assigned to YTL Cooperation under Tan Sri Francis Yeah as the Company’s Brand Ambassador

Books
• Flavours of Malaysia, Selera Antarabangsa (MAS Golden Boutique 1996)
•Chef Wan’s Sweet Treats (Times Edition 2000)
•Simply Sedap! Chef Wan’s Favourite Recipes (Times Edition 2000)
•Around the World with Chef Wan(Times Edition 2000)
•The Art of Entertaining
•Flavours of ASEAN
•Sajian Raya Bersama Chef Wan (Media Corp. TV Suria Singapore 2003)
•Langkak Demi Langkah Bersama Chef Wan (Berita Publishing Sdn. Bhd.)

Book Awards
•Flavours
•Jelita
•Malaysia Tatler Food and Restaurant Guide
•Marie Claire
•Lonely Planet World Food Malaysia and Singapore

Film/ Theatre
•Lurah Dendam (Valley of Vengence) – 1996Best Supporting Actor Nominee – in the 13th Asian Film Festival
•Baginda (1997) – ComedySupporting Actor
•Soal Hati (2000) – Comedy Supporting Actor
•A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum(2002) Live Stage Performance - Leading Role
•Scenerio XX (2004) – Comedy Supporting Actor

TV Shows (Highlights)
•The Kuali Cook Show (1992) –Malaysia TV3
•Chef Wan – Malaysia TV3
•Citarasa Sedunia Bersama Gas Petronas (1999/ 2000)premiered in South-East Asia, India, Australia, Japan, China, South Africa
•Flavours of Asia – Prime 12, Singapore Television
•A Taste of Australia With Chef Wan (Part 1 and 2)Australia ABC Network broadcasted throughout Asia
•Chef Wan and Gino’s Specials – Norge TV, Oslo
•Martin Yan’s The Best of Asia and The Edible Roots (1997)
•Guest Chef on the American Food Channel, United States
•Family Feud (2002) – Malaysia NTV7hosted one year of this highly rated game show aired on Prime Time.
•Food of the World – TV4 Stockholm, Swedensponsored by Ikea
•A Taste of Malaysia – Discovery Channel produced by New Zealand TV Production
•No Reservation Please – Discovery Channelco-host with Anthony Bourdain for American Food Channel

Food Ambassador of Malaysia
•Over the last 16 years, Chef Wan has represented Malaysia in many Food Expo and Tourism Exhibitions around the world for example, exhibitions organized by the Malaysian International Trade Board (MALTRADE), Malaysian Airlines and Tourism Malaysia.
•Due to his extensive knowledge on Malaysian cuisine, Chef Wan has done numerous cookery demonstrations at the following fairs.

1. The World SIAL Food Expo in Paris, France and Beijing, China
2. The World Anuga Food Fair in Koln, Germany
3. The United Kingdom Food and Beverage Show held annually in London
4. In-store promotion for MALTRADE in Japan, India, United Kingdom and Australia
5. The Ethnic Food Fair in Birmingham. United Kingdom
6. The Fine Food Exhibition in Sydney and Melbourne, Australia
7. The Food and Wine Tasting Festival in Adelaide, Australia.

•In October 2002, Chef Wan gave a seminar on ‘The Excitement and Enticement of Malaysian Cuisine’ at the IFCA/ IFSA (International Inflight Catering Association) Asia Pacific Conference held in Kuala Lumpur organized by Malaysian Airlines. He received a standing ovation by the participants at the end of his speech.

•He was co-emcee at the Gala Dinner for the 9th Gourmand World Cook Book Awards 2003 held in Barcelona, Spain

•Chef Wan presented a working paper at the Singapore Writers Festival. His presentation was on ‘Preserving the Malay Cuisine and its Heritage‘, based on his current compilation of menus for his First Encyclopedia of Malay Food. He also presented another topic called ‘My Secret Garden’ based on the significance of Ulam (Malay Herbs) as well as Jamu Rempah in Malay cuisine and its advantages in Asian Traditional Spa. This presentation was very well received and got rave reviews in the Singapore Straits Sunday Times.

•Chef Wan has been interviewed in many regional talk-shows for example, in Indonesia, Hong Kong, Australia and Singapore. Apart from CNBC Asia, in October 2004, he appeared in a programme called ‘Driven’ on CNN TalkAsia with Lorraine Hahn. During this programme, Chef Wan discussed his role as Food Ambassador of Malaysia. Besides this, he was also interviewed on September 1st on Channel News Asia for a half an hour live programme on his presentation at the Singapore Writers Festival.