Kitchen confidential

An amateur cook, Armando Reed makes cooking seem like child’s play with his simple techniques that anyone can apply to their everyday meal. Arundhati Pattabhiraman interacts with the host of ‘Armando’s Asian Twist’

His disarming smile and his ease in front of the camera may remind you of culinary heartthrob Australian chef Curtis Stone. But the new kid on the block, Armando Reed, has a charm of his own. With his new show Armando’s Asian Twist on TLC, this talented cook takes us on a journey to unexplored pockets of Southeast Asia, and gives his continental fare an Asian makeover.

Well, unlike other top chefs on the food network, Armando is not your trained professional chef from Le Cordon Bleu, nor does he own a Michelin restaurant. He is simply passionate about food and has had a humble start in the kitchen. “Growing up, my primary passion has always been cooking. I have a lot of other hobbies like reading, sports, astronomy and stuff like that, but my major area of interest is the kitchen. So, luckily an opportunity came into play and I met the right people and got the show started.”

For the non-cooks

Speaking about his basic aim behind the show, Armando says, “I think a lot of people neither have the resources nor the time to become chefs. So, my new programme will allow them to say things like ‘Okay, let’s think outside the box here. What’s my skill set? What’s the local and fresh produce?  What can I turn that into?’ And moreover, it gives them the feeling that if Armando can do it, they can do it too. I want viewers to tune into my show to be able to say, ‘Hey, I can really learn something and apply these techniques to my everyday cooking’.”

Coming from a family of mixed origin — Taiwanese, Spanish and German — Armando has been exposed to different cultures and cuisines. “My mother is Taiwanese and my father is German-Spanish. So, growing up in Texas was quite an experience. It really helped shape me. When I came back to Taiwan for the first time after almost 20 years, I had graduated from college and was doing some accounting work. I wasn’t too happy with it. Even though I have travelled around, I’ve lived in Austin my entire life. So, when I got this opportunity to really experience and explore some other place, I figured what better place than my mother’s country to help me understand her better, and that’s how I ended up here,” he explains.

Elaborating on his culinary inspirations, this charming cook says, “My greatest influence, when it comes to food, would have to be just a constant battle between my mother and father in the kitchen. My mother is a fantastic cook, so her influence is obviously there, and my father’s love of food. I remember when I was little, he would return from his business trips and paint a perfect picture of the food he ate. I think their passion for cooking and the love of food just really got combined in me.”

The opportunity for a cooking show came as a blessing in disguise for Armando, who could now follow his dream in the kitchen. “I had met several producers at Discovery, because I used to write for shows. One of them contacted me out of the blue and was like, ‘Hey, I’ve noticed that you like cooking.’ And I said, ‘You are damn right I do.’ Then from there it went to, ‘Okay, well, does hosting a cooking show interest you?’ I was extremely excited. After an audition a couple of months later, they contacted me with a ‘go ahead’.”

Untrained chef

At a time when there are a lot of cooking shows on TV, what makes Armando’s show stand out is the fact that he is an amateur cook who is gradually making it big, with his sheer skill in the kitchen. “While some people like the high energy of Jamie Oliver, others admire the intensity of Gordon Ramsay. They have trained in culinary schools. They have started restaurants, and they have been mastering and perfecting the art of cooking for a long time. What sets me apart from such cooks is that I’m an amateur,” he explains.

“However, my culinary journey has been a roundabout path. This makes me connect with and relate to a lot of the viewers. I am not speaking over them. I am speaking on their level to them because I am essentially one of them. It’s just that I had the time or I have made the time to pursue something that I am really passionate about,” he adds. In Armando’s Asian Twist, Armando attempts to give an easy take on contemporary fusion cooking and also gives exotic versions of simple everyday meals. The idea behind the show is to make outstanding dishes using simple household ingredients and fresh local produce.

But this home cook had a rough start in the kitchen. Recalling one such incident, Armando says, “The first time I made cookies was when I was six. While making the cookie dough, I used tablespoons of salt instead of teaspoons of it, and the result was bitter and salty cookies! I didn’t understand what went wrong. So I had all the ingredients laid out on the floor to figure out what went wrong. When mom pointed out the difference between tablespoon and teaspoon, I realised my mistake.”

Such bloopers in the kitchen went on to make Armando the confident chef that he is today. So, what is comfort food for him? “Probably my grandmother’s chicken, which is served in thick chocolate sauce from Latin America. The dish has all these savory spices and cocoa. It’s spicy and sweet at the same time. Whenever I eat it or smell it when I go home, I know I am in the right place,” he signs off. Go on a culinary adventure with Armando’s Asian Twist on weekdays at 9 pm, on TLC.