Chef Jack Lee: I miss my mum very much!

Chủ nhật, 01/11/2015 08:21

“My mum cooks better than yours” - a game show that connects children with their mother through cooking - has a new judge who doesn’t speak Vietnamese fluently, but has interesting and humorous comments.

Chef Jack Lee with two MC Dai Nghia and Viet Huong on the show “My mum cooks better than yours” – Photo: Le Nhan

In two broadcasted programs, this funny Chef is accompanied by two MC’s Viet Huong and Dai Nghia, and two teams. The show brought laughter and happy moments to the audience.

This judge is Jack Lee – an American and Vietnamese chef with 30 years of experience.

“In the first show although I looked happy and had funny comments, at the corner of the studio I came to tears when I saw mothers hug their sons and daughters, expressing their joy over cooking together. I missed my mum very much,” shared Jack.

He explained that, “I was very happy for being invited to be one of the judges of ‘My mum cooks better than yours’ because I could not only taste the great dishes and announce the winner, but also witness the love between a mother and children. Additionally, the program brought me back to my childhood memories. I used to help mum to cook when I was seven or eight years old. I wish that I still were a child then I could attend this game show with my mum.”

“When I met my colleague, Chef Martin Yan, a very popular chef, he clapped my shoulder and said “Hey Jack when I can speak Vietnamese then Vietnam will be mine.” Martin Yan is a foreigner but he still said so. I am Vietnamese and can speak the language, so I thought why shouldn’t I present in front of the camera and transfer my love of cuisine to the viewers?”
                                                                                                                                       JACK LEE

Dramatic childhood

With tears in his eyes and a look of nostalgia, Jack Lee told everyone about his life, which changed suddenly when he was only 10 years old. “It was in the 1980’s. My mum told me that she would go out with me for a night, but finally I went to Singapore then America with my aunt and my mum stayed in Vietnam.”

During the first year in America Jack cried almost every day. “I hated my mum. I was just 10 years old and I couldn’t understand why my mum left me alone in another country like that,” said Jack.

When Jack was 12 years old, he started to work at a small restaurant to earn money to support him as well as save money to send back to Vietnam for his family.

After that Jack went to school to study and took a cooking course at college. He worked without salary for one year in the 5-star Hotel Bel-Air, and was instructed and trained by very famous chefs. Chef Jack said that he used to prepare and cook for many famous Hollywood stars.

He worked very hard, but it took him 18 years to have enough money to go back to Vietnam and visit his mother and brother who had not yet been born when Chef Jack left Vietnam.

He said, sadly, "When I have just met her I cried out loud and asked why she left me like that? She answered me, ‘No mother wants to give her child away. I just wanted to give you good things for your future’.

“She held me in her arms and I cried until I was too tired, and fell in sleep in her arms. When I woke up all my sadness and pain was gone. I still love my mum very much. She just wanted to give me the best things.”

However like the circle of life, Chef Jack is now doing much the same to his own family. In 2014 he came back to Vietnam as invited by a friend to open a new restaurant. The plan was only three months, but after these three months the time was extended again and again.

Chef Jack has been away from his wife and two children now for a year (his son is 12 years and his daughter is 9 years old) but Jack said, “Compared with before it took six months for my mum to receive my letter and it was the same for me to receive hers. So it took us a year to be able to communicate.

But now we can meet and chat to one another every day through email, Facebook or Skype. I go back to the USA every four months to visit my family. My children also came to visit me last summer.”

Keep the hope and try your best

When asking Jack what has kept him so long in Vietnam, he said, “Honestly I didn’t plan on staying in Vietnam very long from the beginning. But opportunities just kept coming to me in Vietnam, like it is my destiny. My wife also supported me to stay here.

She said I must do whatever my heart tells me. I should take any chance to do things that make me happy.”

It seems it was really Chef Jack’s destiny, because as he was on the way to go shopping for his restaurant he passed by Van Thanh tourist area and saw a crowd. After asking, he knew that it was the Golden Spoon contest for professional chefs, so he quickly decided to register and compete in the contest. He had only six hours to prepare.

He went smoothly through the contest from the preliminary round to the final round without any difficulty. Although he did not come out as champion, he was recorded as a humorous chef who came from far away and was very friendly with other contestants throughout the competition.

After that a producer and television director invited Jack to attend game shows about food, like “Food with movie star” (Yan TV channel), “Paradise of foods” (HTV7 channel) and “My mum cooks better than yours” (VTV3 channel).

Jack Lee said that he didn’t feel nervous standing in front of the camera because he used to attend many TV shows in America.

Jack is very busy now in Vietnam. Besides cooking and attending TV game shows Jack has also joined charity activities.

Jack will cook a party for 300 guests this November. The money he gets from this party will be donated to help children with heart disease.

He is also set to publish a book named “Jack’s Life” to tell about his life and another book that trains children in cooking. The book contains his memories of cooking with his mother, who taught him that cooking should come from the heart.

Jack said he hopes the book will connect mothers and children together. Children shouldn’t spend all their time playing games, but should also know how prepare good food.

Although Jack has to admit that most of his time now is only supervising kitchens at restaurants or the studio of game shows, he feels very happy because he can do the job that he loves. He gets to meet many people and has become more well-known.

“You know I nearly died four years ago, in 2011. To be able to save me doctors had to operate on the bone in my face to create an airway for me to breathe. When I came back from the hospital, my daughter was so scared. She cried and ran away to her room.

“For six months thereafter I still didn’t dare to look myself in the mirror. My tongue couldn’t taste food. I couldn’t do anything like that for two years. I was just at home, and I thought that my life was over.

“There is one time that the actress Roma Downey invited me to her house to cook for a party. I told her about my accident, but she still trusted me and gave me full autonomy. Since then I gained back my confidence tried to learn how to season the foods again.”

Jack said life always has problems. Each problem will have its own solution. If you have hope and try your best you will make your dream come true.

Chef Jack Lee in the show “My mum cooks better than yours”- Photo: Le Nhan

Secret recipes: fish sauce and fruits

Chef Jack Lee tells everyone that the secret that makes his dishes so delicious is fish sauce. He hasn’t shared this secret because “some of Americans couldn’t stand the smell of fish sauce. But if the foods have a little bit of fish sauce they will be tastier.”

Talking about Vietnamese cuisine, Jack commented, “I believe that Vietnam offers some of the best dishes in the world. We have meat, seafood and vegetables, and they are always fresh. This will help to have dishes that are delicious and very nutritious.

However, Vietnamese foods also use a high level of chemicals, such as MSG, plus they have a habit of eating salty foods which will can lead to medical conditions such as hypertension. Additionally, dishes should be improved in presentation so as to entice diners.”

Jack Lee also shared that he is now working on creating new dishes made with fruit, because fruits in Vietnam are very fresh and delicious. They also happen to be very healthy, and are usually cheap. For example, he used watermelon to make a soup (this dish was made in the Golden Spoon contest), he used passion fruit to make sauce and soursop to make soup and star apple to make salad.

Hoang Le

Followed Tuoi Tre


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