Globe-trotting Malaysian celebrity cook Datuk Chef Wan certainly knows how to switch on the charm, but it is cooking skill and sheer hard work also that have taken him to the top of his profession.
Chef Wan, also known as Datuk- a Malaysian equivalent of "Sir"- Redzuawan Ismail, was in Dunedin this week filming a cooking show for Astro, a Malaysian satellite pay-television station.
And he said he was enjoying almost everything about the city - except for a chilly sea breeze from the Pacific.
He took the precaution of adding three layers of clothing before continuing the day's filming outdoors at the Esplanade at St Clair.
The award-winning chef and "Food Ambassador of Malaysia" is enthusiastic about Dunedin's scenic attractions, including the beautiful ocean backdrop for the filming of the creation of a cioppino fish stew dish.
"It's kind of 'wow!'," he said about the city, adding he was particularly impressed by the freshness and high quality of the area's produce.
Filming included the unloading of fresh fish from a boat at the Carey's Bay wharf and the preparation of a Bluff oyster dish by Dunedin chef Michael Coughlin at Hotel St Clair's restaurant, Pier 24.
During his 26-year television career, Mr Wan has cooked with celebrity chefs such as Rick Stein. He has already begun another busy year, with new projects and adventures, including filming cooking programmes in New Zealand, Greece, France and many other countries.
He often rises early, about 4.30am, and after a prayer and a simple meal, plunges into a busy working day that often does not end until midnight.
"I've been working around the clock. It's fun," he said.
But he is also a man on a mission, promoting cooking and eating food as a way of forming closer connections between people, achieving peace and overcoming "negativity" and conflict.
