M’sian-born MasterChef winner to cook up new venture

Man of good taste: Adam is set to produce his own cooking show in Australia that will promote Malaysian cuisine.

PETALING JAYA: Malaysian-born celebrity chef Adam Liaw has been given a A$394,900 (RM1.18mil) grant to produce his own cooking show in Australia, which will introduce and promote Malaysian cuisine.

The programme, tentatively named Adam Liaw Heritage Kitchen, is one of the efforts by the Australian government to promote Australian and Malaysian culture through food.

It will also feature Australian products which can be used to cook Malaysian food.

Adam, who was the winner of the second season of MasterChef Australia in 2010, will also be promoting tourist destinations in Australia on his cooking show, reported mStar, The Star’s Malay news portal.

Born in Penang, Adam and his family migrated to Adelaide, Australia, when he was three years old.

His father, Dr Siaw Lin Liaw, is of Chinese descent while his mother, Dr Joyce Hill, is of English descent from Singapore.

Adam expressed his interest in the culinary world while living with his grandmother after his parents separated, and he described the woman as his biggest influence in the culinary field.

Prior to joining MasterChef Australia, Adam settled in Japan and worked as a lawyer for The Walt Disney Company.

The 42-year-old was a go-getter from the start, finishing school at Prince Alfred College at the age of 14 and then entering university at 16.

Adam earned a double degree in Science and Law at the University of Adelaide at the age of 21.

After winning the famous cooking TV show, Adam also released several cookbooks and was a columnist who talked about the culinary world.

Among the cooking programmes featuring Adam are Hidden Japan with Adam Liaw, Destination Flavor: Scandininia and Destination Flavor: Japan.