E&O Search for AFC’s Next Celebrity Search will premiere on 9 November 2011 at 10pm

E&O Search for AFC’s Next Celebrity Search will premiere on 9 November 2011 at 10pm

Are you ready for one of the biggest search for a celebrity chef in Asia? I am talking about the search for the Asian Food Channel (AFC) Next Celebrity Search.

I was invited for the Asian Food Channel (AFC) Next Celebrity Search event at Dish. There I met Hian Goh, the fo-counder of Asian Food Channel (AFC) and Michael Saxon, Director, Hospitality & Lifestyle of the E&O Group.

The Asian Food Channel (AFC) announced that the highly-anticipated original production, E&O Search for AFC’s Next Celebrity Search will premiere on Wednesday, 9 November 2011 at 10pm on pay TV network ASTRO, Channel 703.

The exciting 8x60min series will broadcast across nine territories to a total of 45 million viewers throughout Asia. Fans can tune in to watch as celebrity chef hopefuls, who have traveled far and wide from around the region to attend auditions in Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines and Hong Kong, come together to compete for a chance to be AFC’s Next Celebrity Chef!

As the grueling rounds force the self-proclaimed kitchen superstars to prove their skills to gain a chance to move on step closer to the coveted title, esteemed AFC Celebrity judges watch closely from the sidelines.

AFC’s own Chef Bruce Lim and Chef Anna Olson, as well as Mr. Michael Saxon, Director, Hospitality & Lifestyle of the E&O Group, have taken on the role as celebrity guest judges for the auditions. A host of international and distinguished celebrity chefs also make surprise guest appearances as judges in selected episodes throughout the series.

Chef Bruce Lim, who stars on his own AFC Original Productions, Tablescapes and The Boss, said he’s lucky to be given the role as a celebrity judge on E&O Search for AFC’s Next Celebrity Chef, “I still remember when I was working under the tutelage of Chef Gordon Ramsay. Having him as a mentor was not only a once in a lifetime experience, it also helped to shape me into the chef that I am today. Now, the tables have turned and I have become the teacher! It is hard to believe that I am literally molding the next generation of television celebrity chefs!”

Out of the hundreds that auditioned, only a total of 35 finalists, who are revealed in the premiere episode, are chosen to travel to the luxurious Eastern & Oriental (E&O) properties in Kuala Lumpur and Penang, where the entire series was shot. E&O’s numerous hospitality and lifestyle properties such as the Eastern & Oriental Hotel and Lone Pine Hotel in Penang, the Martinique seafront villa and Straits Quay Retail Marina at E&O’s master planned township of Seri Tanjung Pinang, Penang, the St. Mary Residences in Kuala Lumpur, and last but not least, the popular Delicious restaurants in Kuala Lumpur and Penang, are all prominently featured through the programme.

Throughout the series, the contestants are put through a series of creative and tasking challenges that test their abilities in the kitchen and on the stage! Those who can’t take the heat are eliminated each week. At the end of the series, the chosen winner will be signed on to an exclusive one-year contract as an AFC Celebrity Chef who will appear on the channel. In addition, they will also be awarded the opportunity of a year-long employment contract with the E&O Group, taking on the mantle of Creative Chef, E&O Hospitality & Lifestyle Division, E&O Group.

The E&O Search for AFC’s Next Celebrity Chef series will also be complemented by a microsite dedicated to the production at http://www.asianfoodchannel.com/nextafcchef. The site will provide up-to-date information about contestants, behind the scenes pictures and weekly updates about the programme.

After the intensifying teaser preview, I had a lengthy chat with Hian Goh and Michael Saxon on the details of the TV series. In total, the production team took almost 80 days to complete the series in various locations in Malaysia. Hian personally told me that this is their biggest project up to date. Hence, Michael lost 5 kg throughout the whole filming process. We were also shown a deleted scene where Chef Bruce Lim had an argument with Michael Saxon which shocked the press and the media.It was drama, suspense and spicier than our usual “nasi lemak”!

Watching the short preview teaser will easily compare the TV series to Amazing Race Asia where contestants come from different countries throughout Asia. It will be country vs country contestants and it will be interesting and exciting to watch who will represent Malaysia and who will win the inaugural AFC’s Next Celebrity Search. Did I mention that the guest celebrity chef includes Chef Wan and Chef Emmanuel Stroobant!!!

Watch E&O Search for AFC’s Next Celebrity Search as it will premiere on Wednesday, 9 November 2011 at 10pm on pay TV network ASTRO, Channel 703.

Wilson Ng