29 April 2008

Hello, would you like to take me home?

by Yeoh Siew Hoon

The first thing I asked myself when I met Curtis Stone (pictured), the Take Home Chef on Discovery Travel & Living, was, would I want to take him home?

Well, I am sure I was not the only female in the ballroom asking that question ââ¬' in fact, I think most probably would have jumped from question to answer (YES) without passing the word ââ¬ÅâœGoââ¬~ ââ¬' but I, of course, had to ask a few questions before I leapt.

ââ¬ÅâœWas your father a bad cook too,ââ¬~ I asked, as I gazed into his deep blue eyes.

Stone, for those who donââ¬â¢t know him, was a surfer boy in Australia who somehow rode the right wave and ended up being a celebrity chef.

His first series was ââ¬ÅâœSurfing the menuââ¬~ which basically shows two surfer-type Aussies cooking on the beach but his biggest claim to fame is ââ¬ÅâœTake Home Chefââ¬~ where he ambushes mainly sweet, young girls in supermarkets in America and offers to cook for them at home. Itââ¬â¢s a winning formula ââ¬' boy takes girls home, boy cooks for girls and girls drool over boy and, oh yes, the food.

I asked that question because earlier on stage, he had said the reason he learnt to cook and grew to love it was because his mother was a bad cook ââ¬' he remembers overcooked vegetables and bland, British dishes.

ââ¬ÅâœYes, he was,ââ¬~ he said, gazing into my bespectacled brown eyes. ââ¬ÅâœWhat I didnââ¬â¢t say though was my mother was a good baker, and I learnt a lot from her.ââ¬~

ââ¬ÅâœWhich celebrity chef do you admire most?ââ¬~ I quickly asked before he slipped away to his adoring public, all of whom were waiting their turn to shake the hand of a man who I donââ¬â¢t really know whether he can really cook but he sure looks good doing it.

ââ¬ÅâœThatââ¬â¢s a hard question,ââ¬~ he said, the full intensity of his gaze upon me. He paused, looked upward and then down at me. ââ¬ÅâœActually the people I admire most are the producers, the people who make the produce that we use ââ¬' the people who make the goat cheese and do it to perfection. Thatââ¬â¢s real hard work.ââ¬~

When you watch Stone cook on television, he doesnââ¬â¢t make it look like hard work ââ¬' instead, he makes it look fun, natural and easy. Just like the way he came across that night at one of the World Gourmet Summit dinners hosted by Discovery Travel & Living.

Stone, who was classically trained in London under Marco Pierre White, is described as ââ¬Åâœthe face of a new generation of chefsââ¬~ with People Magazine voting him as one of the sexiest men alive.

In person, he comes across as affable, personable with a good sense of humour.

Yes, just the sort of man youââ¬â¢d want to take home.

Incidentally, Stone is returning to Singapore in July and even hinted that he may film an episode of ââ¬ÅâœTake Home Chefââ¬~. I am going to make sure I visit the supermarkets everyday then.

Catch Yeoh Siew Hoon every week at the Transit CafÃ~© ââ¬' www.thetransitcafe.com

• PRINT
• SEND TO A FRIEND
• SHARE

Post your comment

Your Comments

, be the first to post a comment.
Your email:

Your comment title:


Your comment:

Email other comments made to this story

5 characters