Fri | Mar 29, 2024

Chef Noel whips up What’s Cooking Podcast

Published:Thursday | September 17, 2020 | 12:15 AMKrysta Anderson/Gleaner Writer
Delicious ackee and salt fish plantain cups.
Delicious ackee and salt fish plantain cups.
Sweet and sour chicken on a bed of vegetable fried rice.
Sweet and sour chicken on a bed of vegetable fried rice.
Chef Noel launches What’s Cooking Podcast.
Chef Noel launches What’s Cooking Podcast.
Chef Noel’s famous coconut marinated jerk fried chicken and waffles.
Chef Noel’s famous coconut marinated jerk fried chicken and waffles.
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The savoury meets sweet secret is out. Chef Noel Cunningham is starting a new chapter as a culinary podcaster.

His latest creative pursuit, What’s Cooking with Chef Noel, is a weekly podcast geared towards taking the listeners on a food-tastic culinary journey. The Canadian-Jamaican award-winning international chef and cookbook author gave us more insight into his new adventure. “Each week, I delve deeply into various food topics, dishing on the food and beverage industry, the entrepreneurial spirit, and everything relevant to being a chef including, the ups and the down. If you love to cook or eat, this is the show for you.”

The show, both gastronomically informative and scrumptiously witty, will explore different formats. On some occasions, it’s a solo act, hosted by the Jamaican-Canadian chef. And other times, he is joined by some smart, thought-provoking game changers in the food industry both locally and internationally. The guest list includes fellow chefs, food bloggers, food personalities, restaurateurs, mixologists, event organisers and entrepreneurs. “Celebrities will be passing through and sharing their food memories and mixing things up with a little hot topic.”

Listeners are from time to time given the opportunity to join in as well. He will also be doing reviews on food-related products and culinary events. “Some shows are going to be funny and others will be sure to educate you, and all are going to be real by nature,” Chef Noel declared.

This podcast gives him the opportunity to turn up or turn down the flames on food-related conversations. “I believe that we have a lot of work to do in the culinary industry, and this is a space where we can tackle some of the issues or start a conversation and use this medium to educate others as well.”

Launched with the first episode on August 30, new ones have since been released every Sunday following that date.

Episode one served appetisers, dishing out an introduction into the podcast’s content and host. Episode two, titled Culinary Matters, highlighted matters surrounding chefs being placed on the back burners. “In this episode, I kept it real with how chefs are being treated by organisers and some of the challenges we face. Chef Alex D-Great joined me for Episode 3, where we discussed ‘you don’t become a chef to become famous’,” he said.

Future episodes will seek to discuss the health risk of being a chef, the unavoidable lifestyle that comes with the title, food for mental health, a tale of Caribbean cuisine, the debate of cultural appropriation, kitchen essentials you must have, and wine 101, he added.

Chef Noel continues to elevate Jamaican cuisine on to the global stage. “My aim for this podcast is to educate young chefs or persons coming in the industry, as well as foodies at heart. Join me each week on your favourite app as we talk about food. In some episodes, I will also be sharing recipes as well, so you can cook along.”

krysta.anderson@gleanerjm.com