<p>Alvin Leung, who prides himself on serving Chinese cuisine with a twist, is now judging the Canadian edition of Masterchef. Arundhati Pattabhiraman engages the ‘demon chef’ in a tête-à-tête </p>.<p>He is not your typical chef who has trained under culinary greats. Neither does he sport chef’s whites in the kitchen. Alvin Leung is the bad boy of Chinese cuisine. This tattoo-sporting, earring-wearing, cigar-smoking demon chef has altered the conservative face of Chinese cuisine, turning it on its head and giving his diners an unforgettable experience with his quirky and ground-breaking creations. And now, Alvin is one of the judges in the Canadian edition of Masterchef, helping home cooks achieve their culinary destinies. <br /><br />Home cook to masterchef<br /><br />Alvin’s foray into the kitchen is no different from those of many home cooks around the world. Born in London and raised in Canada, Alvin donned the chef’s hat much later in life after switching tracks as an engineer. However, what makes him a masterchef is the fact that this self-taught epicurean went on to earn 3 Michelin stars for his restaurants Bo Innovation in Hong Kong and Bo London in London. <br /><br />But what pushed this qualified engineer into the kitchen was just the simple need for survival. “My mother could not cook,” he says with a smile, adding, “But I enjoyed eating. So, naturally, my first challenge was to learn my way around the kitchen. I read a lot of cook books. I thoroughly enjoyed the process of learning by myself. And soon I started experimenting with flavours and textures.” The 54-year-old chef would cook a lot of meals for his friends, who eventually encouraged him to open a restaurant. But in an industry ruled by trained professionals, it was Alvin’s unique take on food and his perseverance to succeed that saw him through. <br /><br />And after all the adventures and misadventures in the kitchen, Alvin invented what came to be known as Xtreme Chinese, a cuisine that broke preconceived notions about chinese food around the world. And his success has been nothing short of overwhelming. <br /><br />“Typically, Chinese food has a bad reputation of being cheap, comfortable and familiar. I wanted to change all that by refining the dishes, presenting them like works of art, and I saw a lot of room for experimentation,” he explains. “I wanted to push people from their comfort zones and take them to the edge. Xtreme Chinese, like the name suggests, is all about experiencing something out of the ordinary. It is X-citing, X-otic and X-traordinary.”<br />By breaking down traditional Chinese recipes to their bare essence and giving it a modern twist, Alvin created one of his most controversial dishes ‘Sex On A Beach’, which involves an edible condom made out of a konjac and kappa on a beach made of mushroom. The condom itself is filled with a mixture of honey and ham. A bit much you think? “The dish is close to my heart because I invented it to raise awareness about AIDS,” says the self-made chef, who is known for the use of molecular gastronomy in his cooking. <br /><br />Taking risks<br /><br />In addition to the influences of many international cuisines including French and Italian from the West; and Thai, Korean, Malaysian and Indian from the East; Alvin takes inspiration from the “masters”, many of whom he has had the fortune to visit and work with. He also has professional chefs working with him to form a strong technical backbone for his restaurants. <br /><br />And where does he draw his inspiration from? “I get my inspiration from a lot of sources. There’s the whole library of Asian cuisine, which is humongous, but I also take things from everyday life. I think I can always do something better and when the idea comes to me, I’ll go all out,” he says with much humility, adding that his quest for knowledge continues to this day. At the same time, Alvin seems unperturbed by negative reviews and takes criticism in his stride like a true artiste. <br /><br />Of his experience on Masterchef Canada, the demon chef (the name he gave himself just to create curiosity) says that he relates more to contestants who come from all walks of life and bring with them their own techniques. But he doesn’t go easy on these home cooks. “Since I was just like them when I started off, I am harder on them and like to extract more out of them. I know what a home cook can be capable of and what can be achieved. I guess that makes me a tougher judge to please than the others,” he says on a serious note. <br /><br />And when asked about his idea of comfort food, Alvin’s answer is surprisingly South Indian. “RICE,” he says without a shadow of doubt, adding, “The magical grain of rice is so versatile. I absolutely cannot do without it!”<br /><br />Catch Alvin in action on Masterchef Canada, Friday to Sunday at 8 pm, on TLC.</p>
<p>Alvin Leung, who prides himself on serving Chinese cuisine with a twist, is now judging the Canadian edition of Masterchef. Arundhati Pattabhiraman engages the ‘demon chef’ in a tête-à-tête </p>.<p>He is not your typical chef who has trained under culinary greats. Neither does he sport chef’s whites in the kitchen. Alvin Leung is the bad boy of Chinese cuisine. This tattoo-sporting, earring-wearing, cigar-smoking demon chef has altered the conservative face of Chinese cuisine, turning it on its head and giving his diners an unforgettable experience with his quirky and ground-breaking creations. And now, Alvin is one of the judges in the Canadian edition of Masterchef, helping home cooks achieve their culinary destinies. <br /><br />Home cook to masterchef<br /><br />Alvin’s foray into the kitchen is no different from those of many home cooks around the world. Born in London and raised in Canada, Alvin donned the chef’s hat much later in life after switching tracks as an engineer. However, what makes him a masterchef is the fact that this self-taught epicurean went on to earn 3 Michelin stars for his restaurants Bo Innovation in Hong Kong and Bo London in London. <br /><br />But what pushed this qualified engineer into the kitchen was just the simple need for survival. “My mother could not cook,” he says with a smile, adding, “But I enjoyed eating. So, naturally, my first challenge was to learn my way around the kitchen. I read a lot of cook books. I thoroughly enjoyed the process of learning by myself. And soon I started experimenting with flavours and textures.” The 54-year-old chef would cook a lot of meals for his friends, who eventually encouraged him to open a restaurant. But in an industry ruled by trained professionals, it was Alvin’s unique take on food and his perseverance to succeed that saw him through. <br /><br />And after all the adventures and misadventures in the kitchen, Alvin invented what came to be known as Xtreme Chinese, a cuisine that broke preconceived notions about chinese food around the world. And his success has been nothing short of overwhelming. <br /><br />“Typically, Chinese food has a bad reputation of being cheap, comfortable and familiar. I wanted to change all that by refining the dishes, presenting them like works of art, and I saw a lot of room for experimentation,” he explains. “I wanted to push people from their comfort zones and take them to the edge. Xtreme Chinese, like the name suggests, is all about experiencing something out of the ordinary. It is X-citing, X-otic and X-traordinary.”<br />By breaking down traditional Chinese recipes to their bare essence and giving it a modern twist, Alvin created one of his most controversial dishes ‘Sex On A Beach’, which involves an edible condom made out of a konjac and kappa on a beach made of mushroom. The condom itself is filled with a mixture of honey and ham. A bit much you think? “The dish is close to my heart because I invented it to raise awareness about AIDS,” says the self-made chef, who is known for the use of molecular gastronomy in his cooking. <br /><br />Taking risks<br /><br />In addition to the influences of many international cuisines including French and Italian from the West; and Thai, Korean, Malaysian and Indian from the East; Alvin takes inspiration from the “masters”, many of whom he has had the fortune to visit and work with. He also has professional chefs working with him to form a strong technical backbone for his restaurants. <br /><br />And where does he draw his inspiration from? “I get my inspiration from a lot of sources. There’s the whole library of Asian cuisine, which is humongous, but I also take things from everyday life. I think I can always do something better and when the idea comes to me, I’ll go all out,” he says with much humility, adding that his quest for knowledge continues to this day. At the same time, Alvin seems unperturbed by negative reviews and takes criticism in his stride like a true artiste. <br /><br />Of his experience on Masterchef Canada, the demon chef (the name he gave himself just to create curiosity) says that he relates more to contestants who come from all walks of life and bring with them their own techniques. But he doesn’t go easy on these home cooks. “Since I was just like them when I started off, I am harder on them and like to extract more out of them. I know what a home cook can be capable of and what can be achieved. I guess that makes me a tougher judge to please than the others,” he says on a serious note. <br /><br />And when asked about his idea of comfort food, Alvin’s answer is surprisingly South Indian. “RICE,” he says without a shadow of doubt, adding, “The magical grain of rice is so versatile. I absolutely cannot do without it!”<br /><br />Catch Alvin in action on Masterchef Canada, Friday to Sunday at 8 pm, on TLC.</p>
