Chef Wan

Redzuawan bin Ismail (born 6 January 1958), better known by his stage name Chef Wan, is a Malaysian celebrity chef, television host, actor, restaurateur and entrepreneur.

Personal life

Chef Wan is a second generation Federal Land Development Authority (Felda) settler who was born and raised at Sungai Koyan Felda, Lipis, Pahang.

In an interview in February 2010, Chef Wan said that he is of mixed ancestry; his father has Malay and Javanese ancestry from Indonesia while his mother has Chinese and Japanese ancestry. Chef Wan has two children. One is Serina Redzuawan, an actress who has appeared in several Malaysian drama series; Chef Wan's son, Muhammad Nazri Redzuawan who is commonly known as Chef Riz, is following in his father's footsteps by becoming a chef as well.

Career

Chef Wan's early career was as an accountant.

Chef Wan has an associate degree in Professional Chef Training and Hotel Management from the California Culinary Academy and a Ritz Escoffier Diploma from the Hôtel Ritz Paris. In 2009, he won the Best Celebrity Television Chef of the Gourmand World Cookbook Awards. He is currently a brand ambassador for AirAsia.

In 2005, Anthony Bourdain introduced Chef Wan to American audiences during his trip to Malaysia in season one, episode five of No Reservations. In 2009, Chef Wan appeared in Episode 3 of Rick Stein's television series Far Eastern Odyssey (BBC).

On 26 July 2018, Chef Wan's Kitchen at Esplanade Mall ceased operations after only a year. Chef Wan said, "It's not because the cooks are not good, and neither are the staff to blame. The culinary team just did not follow my recipes... and as a result, many diners were not satisfied... It's better to close it than to invite further criticism from guests who enjoy what I cook."

Chef Wan was the recipient of THE 2019 Felda Icon Award at Felda Settlers Day in 2019.

In March 2021, viral YouTube comedian Nigel Ng, better known as Uncle Roger, visited Chef Wan's restaurant for a video shoot. Chef Wan mentioned how he was offered to be on Gelak Gempak Selebrity, a new stand-up comedy show, but declined the offer, stating that he preferred to be "spontaneously funny" and "didn't have much confidence in the field of stand-up comedy". He took down the post and defended the joke as a means to gauge public reaction and was further criticized for it.

In 2015, while criticising a CNN ranking of the world's best food destinations for its low placement of Malaysia, Chef Wan stated that "[the] Philippines is known to have the worst food in Asia, ask any chefs and they will tell you I am right".

In 2017, Chef Wan, being the son of a Felda settler, vented his frustrations and disappointments over the Felda scandals by calling the agency "Felda then, Failed dah now" and condemned the culprits. On a cooking programme and campaign visit to the Felda community during the January 2019 Cameron Highlands by-election, he said he wanted to slap former prime minister Najib Razak and ex-Felda chairman Mohd Isa Abdul Samad for mismanaging the agency. He apologized later for his coarse language.

After he was awarded the 2019 Felda Icon, Najib Razak embroiled himself in a war of words with Chef Wan over his remarks this time. Chef Wan has told the disgraced ex-PM to 'shut his mouth' and 'don't bark like a mad dog'.

Filmography

Film

Year Title Role Notes 1996 Lurah Dendam Rizal First appearance 1997 Baginda Teacher Ismail 2000 Soal Hati Naza 2005 Senario XX Dad Siti 2011 Karipap-Karipap Cinta Himself 2015 Gangsterrock Kasi Sengat Himself Special appearance

Television Year Title Role Notes 1999–2001 Kampung Boy Himself Voice-acting, 1 episode

Honours

Honours of Malaysia