asian food: Up, up and away with Chef Wan Television celebrity Chef Wan has cooked up a host of ideas to keep viewers’ interest bubbling in his shows. AZMAN AHMAD writes. COOKERY shows are not only about preparing different kinds of food but should include tips on entertaining guests and table etiquette, as well as other dining-related subjects. Malaysia’s “King Of Kitchen,” Chef Wan, is set to revolutionise TV cookery shows. The celebrity chef wants to inject new elements and has been travelling overseas exploring foreign dishes to elevate the standard and quality of local shows so that they are on par with those produced by established international television networks. “It is high time we become more creative and innovative so that our shows will progress to greater heights and attract new viewers, including an international audience,” said Wan, who has promoted local cuisines overseas. Working with the newly established TV9 since January this year where his talk show, Usik-Usik Chef Wan, has been receiving good ratings, the ex-accountant is set to introduce a new approach in his upcoming cookery show for the channel. The second season of Usik-Usik Chef Wan will be extended from the current half-hour to an hour with the addition of new segments, requested by TV9 viewers. “I am thankful TV9 has agreed with my idea for a Chef Wan Culinary Travel Club. I am planning to rope in budget airline AirAsia as the main partner,” he revealed. He said through the travel programme called Best Of Asia, viewers may join him to selected destinations with AirAsia and learn the cooking styles of the countries visited. Besides cooking, the itinerary would involve sightseeing and shopping. The cuisines of the Javanese, Sundanese, Balinese and Padang communities would be on the list. “Other destinations which AirAsia goes to like Vietnam, Myanmar and Thailand will also be in the show,” he explained, adding that special discounts would be given to families joining his cooking entourage abroad.. “I am in the final stages of negotiating with a few sponsors on this project. For club members, especially my fans, they get the chance to buy Chef Wan’s exclusive merchandise and kitchen-related products marketed through TV9 at Jom TV3 Jom Heboh carnivals, for example,” he said. Wan pointed out that since there are many food festivals organised in the region, he is considering bringing his “students” as participants to these annual gourmet calendar events. Wan will also appear on RTM 1 with Seni Menjamu Selera, a series on cooking and lifestyles where the topics cover preparing food for picnic, pot-luck parties, breakfast menus, children’s birthday parties and wedding anniversaries. “There are also tips on table setting for wedding functions and how to be the perfect party host,” he revealed. Currently, TV2 is showing a re-run of Wan’s From The Garden To The Kitchen (every Sunday at 10.30pm) besides his new series Seafood Odyssey (every Friday at 11am), shot in Langkawi and other scenic islands in Malaysia. On the international front, Wan continues to make waves with his Flavours Of Asia series, aired by the Asian Food Channel in countries like Thailand, Singapore, Indonesia and Hong Kong. “I also did a series on Malaysian cuisine for the Canadian Food Network and will be involved in another programme on the Asian BBQ, sponsored by Webber, a famous Canadian grill company, soon,” he said. Wan will be in London in November for a stint at the Thames University, which is his second invitation to teach there. “My eighth cookbook, Simply Sedap Part 2, will be out soon. Part of the proceeds from sales of the book and the Ramadan buffet which I will cook at Westin Hotel will go to the Islamic Outrich, an association for orphans and Muslim converts,” he said.