JOHOR BARU: At 15, he can claim to have built up quite an impressive resume with his cooking skills that have captured the attention of celebrities and chefs from abroad.
Ricardo Leonel Lau’s talent in the kitchen saw him preparing a 14-dish Christmas feast for his family last month which included roast chicken, tomahawk steak, cinnamon rolls, chocolate log cake and pavlova.
The feat, which was posted on Instagram, has garnered over 7.5 million views so far.
“Khloe Kardashian, Canadian model Winnie Harlow and many other celebrities and content creators have liked my post, which was incredibly encouraging.
“One of my favourite comments was from my idol, US-based chef Steven Gao, who said my food looks great,” said Lau, who is of Malaysian and Indonesian parentage and shared that he picked up cooking from his mother as a pastime during the Covid-19 pandemic.
“During the movement control order, my passion for cooking grew, especially since I was spending a lot of time with my mother cooking for our family.
“From cooking, I gradually ventured into baking, starting by helping my mum bake cakes and desserts before making them myself,” he said.
In fact, Lau has often been keen on cooking, having won cooking competitions during his primary school days.
“With regular practice, my skills improved. And I was inspired to share my creations with a wider audience by posting videos on social media,” he said in an interview.
Lau said he started posting videos on social media in 2021 where he shared cooking, baking as well as latte art videos.
He has over 46,200 followers on Instagram to date.
“Initially, my social media presence was modest, but over time, I gradually gained more followers and views.
“The peak was when I posted a video of a 14-dish Christmas feast I made for my family,” said Lau, who is the eldest of three siblings.
Lau, who spent the first seven years of his life in Perth, Australia, before returning to Johor, said he loves experimenting with new recipes and techniques.
“I enjoy cooking because it allows me to express creativity and bring joy to others through food.”
He named steak as one of his favourite dishes to make as it makes him nostalgic about his time in Australia.
Desserts like pavlova and tiramisu are among his favourite, too.
Besides sharing a love of baking with his mother, Lau said his aunts have also provided him with cooking and baking tips.
His parents work in real estate and the education sector.
But despite his love for cooking, Lau, who is studying at an international school here, dreams of becoming a doctor.
“My main career objective is to become a doctor,” he said.
However, the thought of being a chef and content creator is lurking in his mind too.
“For now, cooking is a hobby that I take quite seriously.
“I’ll see how it evolves in the future,” he said.
