KUCHING: As the ‘Magnificent Sarawak: Gastronomy Adventures’ programme nears its end, renowned Chef Addison Liew reflected on the journey, calling it a deeply personal and inspiring experience for both him and his chef buddies.
Although originally from Ipoh, Perak, Addison holds a special connection to Kuching, calling it his second home.
“Sarawak, especially Kuching, is a very important city for me as my wife, Jasmine, is from Kuching and it feels like home. I am the son-in-law of Kuching city,” he told Sarawak Tribune in an interview.
Reflecting on the almost week-long journey, he emphasised how the tour left a lasting impression on him, particularly with the places they visited and the people they encountered.
“It reflects a lot on my life. It made me think a lot about our attitude towards our next life. This is my very deep impression of this trip,” he opined.
Accompanied by three fellow chefs, namely Chef Tam Kwok Fung, Chef Xu Jingye, Peruvian chef Eduardo Vargas, and a group of guests, including influencers and food enthusiasts from China and Beijing, Liew served as both host and guide.
He spoke warmly of the camaraderie shared during the trip.
“They are all my friends. They really experienced something that can only be felt personally,” he said.
He noted that for many of his guests, the visit offered a deeper dimension beyond their previous exposure to his culinary creations in restaurants.
“In MULU Beijing, they only experience my food in the restaurant. But here, at the actual places in Sarawak, they could feel everything themselves. And being able to cook with my chef buddies this time is very valuable as they are all chefs whom I respect utmost,” he said.
According to Liew, the journey inspired not just appreciation, but a desire to give back.
“Even my buddy chefs, they really got a lot of inspiration. When they return home, they can reflect a lot through this trip,” he said.
Looking ahead to the final cooking event of the tour,‘Tok Panjang Sarawak’, tomorrow (Sunday, Oct. 19), Addison hinted that the menu will be a heartfelt tribute to the ingredients, farmers and local people they encountered along the way.
“Every place that we go – the farms, the market – it will reflect on the menu.
“You can see our faces when we’re happy with the ingredients and the people we met. That joy will translate into our food,” he said, adding the team’s excitement over wild mangoes (bambangan), durians, and other tropical and forest produce they discovered during their first days in Sarawak.
Earlier, Addison, his fellow chefs and delegates of the ‘Magnificent Sarawak: Gastronomy Adventures’ programme visited a nipah plantation in Kampung Pinggan Jaya, Kota Samarahan, toured Cocoland Industries Sdn Bhd in Batu Kitang, and explored Kuching’s heritage sites on foot.
The gastronomy tour is a food and culture initiative curated by MULU Global Media under the MULU Group China. It will be produced into a six-episode documentary reality to be streamed on Youku.
