Chef Wan

Redzuawan Ismail.[2] or better known as Chef Wan is a Malaysian celebrity chef.[3]

Career[edit]
His early career was as an accountant. He says after seeing the popularity of many types of Asian food in
Western countries he decided to promote Malaysia and other South East Asiancountries using their food.[4]
He has an associate degree in Professional Chef Training and Hotel Management from the California
Culinary Academy and a Ritz Escoffeir Diploma from the Htel Ritz Paris. He is currently a brand
ambassador for AirAsia.[5]
In 2009, he won the Best Celebrity Television Chef of the Gourmand World Cookbook Awards.[2]

Personal life[edit]
In an interview in February 2010, Chef Wan highlighted that he is of mixed ancestry; his father
has Riau Malay and Javanese ancestry while his mother is of Nyonya and Japanese descent.[4][6] Chef Wan
has two children, one of whom is Serina Redzuawan, an actress who has appeared in several Malaysian
drama series.[7] Chef Wan's son, Muhammad Nazri bin Redzuawan, is following in his father's footsteps by
becoming a chef as well.

Few can top Chef Wan. He is one of Malaysias most celebrated icons and a star of the Asian Food
Channel, as well as having hosted shows in numerous other countries including Malaysia,
Singapore and the United States. Whats more, hes published eight cookbooks, and is also a
comedian, talk-show host, and has acted on stage and screen.
Born Redzuawan bin Ismail, Chef Wan was trained as an accountant, but gave up his career to
pursue his love of cooking.
With degrees in Professional Chef Training and Hotel Management from the California Culinary
Academy in San Francisco and Ecole Ritz-Esscoffier De Gastronomie Francaise from the Ritz
Hotel in Paris, Chef Wan is truly a chef of the world, having told an Australian newspaper
recently, The nationality of food does not matter. What is important is that the food is delicious
and marketable.

Chef Wan may have started his career as an accountant, but this celebrity chef
traded the corporate world for a career in the kitchen. Today, Chef Wan is a
household name in Asia with more than 20 years of experience in the industry and is
known for his flamboyant sense of style. His talents range from chef, author and
actor to TV host and publisher.
Due to his contribution and role as a representative of Malaysia at various global
gourmet events, world expos and tourism exhibitions, Chef Wan has had the honour
of being the first celebrity to be bestowed the title of 'Datuk' by King Yang Di-Pertuan
Agong in February 2010. This was followed by his appointment as 'Culinary
Ambassador' by Tourism Malaysia in November 2010.
Well known for his extensive knowledge of Malaysian cuisine, Chef Wan has also
been invited to perform demonstrations and conduct talks in China, Germany,
London, Canada, Spain, Australia and Europe. At the World Gourmet Food and
Media Awards in Beijing, Chef Wan won the Lifetime Jury Award at the "Le Mazille
Prix" 2007 Gourmand for his contributions as the culinary ambassador for Malaysia
to the world.
His international recognition has even captured the attention of the Tourism Authority
of Thailand, which, on behalf of the government and Royal Kingdom of Thailand,
presented him with the 'Friends of Thailand Award' in September 2010.
With 12 cookbooks published and more on the way, Chef Wan is also a food critic for
major dailies and magazines in Malaysia. He has also played the lead and several
supporting roles in various films and theatre shows. His efforts earned him a
nomination for 'Best Supporting Actor' at the 13th Asian Film Festival for his
performance in 'Valley of Vengeance'.
Besides his many achievements, Chef Wan is also a firm believer of giving back to
the community. He is an ambassador for several non-profit organisations such as the
National Kidney Foundation of Malaysia in March 2010, 'Save Our Seafood'
Campaign in May 2010 and the National Cancer Society Malaysia in November
2010.
Most recently, Chef Wan was appointed to be the Malaysia Airlines (MAS) Holiday
Travel Icon Ambassador in November 2010 and will be creating gourmet packages
for inbound and outbound holidays to and from Malaysia. His role as MAS Travel
Icon Ambassador will also show him and his fans in a new reality series where they
explore the world and its different cuisines.