Exclusive interview with cookbook author and Fatafeat star, Chef Andrew Mitchell. Best known for his television show, Soup & Snacks. The creative chef talks about his cooking career, influences and his restaurants.

                      

 
   
By Ghinwa Minkara  
 



You prepared some of your mom recipes on your show Soup & Snacks. Was her cooking what influenced you to become a chef? Tell us about your beginning.

 

The beginning basically, when I finished high school I didn’t know what I wanted to do. While I was exploring the idea of making food for myself one day and I was speaking with my mom about this, in that point I decided to become a chef. I grow up with good food in my house so that was one of the big influences.

 

How did you start with Fatafeat Channel?

 

I opened a restaurant in Cairo. At that time the owner of Fatafeat Channel was looking for a new talent in the Middle East and someone put us in contact and we started working together.

 

After the big success of Soup & Snacks is there going to be season 5?

We are working on a new show right now. A new concept that we are going to film this year, I can’t give you close details. It will be announced in the near future.

 

What was the hardest thing you faced when you started filming your shows?

Basically just trying to come up with ideas that I though people would want to learn how to cook. Things that you see in casual dinning restaurants that kids like. Something that you want to make at home but you’re not necessary knows how. Also, thing that isn’t complicated. Things from other countries that weren’t common here.

 

Which season of Soup & Snacks is your favorite and why?

 

Probably the last season (season 4) because each year you get better not just as a chef the team itself, the cameramen and the organization everything gets better with time and experience. So for me every year was better than the one before.

 

Tell us something funny that happened during filming your shows?

 

One time we were filming a sequence one of the recipe. Sometime Darine say things in Arabic that I don’t understand so I pretend that I didn’t hear her. She was telling me “she’s thirsty” in Arabic and I didn’t understand. She said the word three times and because she said the same word three times I was forced to acknowledge it. And when I did she told me in English “I am thirsty” so I handed her the glass of water. For me it was really funny watching the play back. It wasn’t planed it was excellent.

 

You own a restaurant in Egypt what kind of a restaurant?

 

Until last year we had a restaurant called Alto’s Bistro which is a fine dinning five stars restaurant but as things have changed in Egypt, now I have moved into fast food. We have a donor concept called Ali Baba. We have Chinese concept called Mr. Wok and we have a gourmet hot dog concept called Top Dogs, all in Cairo.

 

 

And are you going to open a new restaurant in another country?

 

There is no immediate plan. I am always exploring the idea. I have not come a cross the right opportunity yet. I am planning on opening something this year in Cairo and that is something that will have to do with new show.

 

What makes your restaurant different from other restaurants in Egypt?

 

Their concepts what makes them different. They are places with specific concepts. They only do one thing. Its not a normal restaurant were you have Italian with Egyptian with Lebanese with this with that our donor shops is one kind of sandwich 3 or 4 different sizes with a salad or with a plate. The hot dog place only does hotdogs and Merguez. It doesn’t have hamburgers or Kofta or anything else. The Chinese place makes Chinese food in a box. You pick your noodles or rice you choose your vegetables, meat, seafood or chicken. Then you pick your sauce. The chef cooks it in front of you in one minute fast and fresh. We are trying to keep things as healthy as possible by maintaining good flavors and using good products. That’s what makes it different. These are all new concepts here. Maybe 10% more expensive than McDonalds but it something unique and home grown. Our team is all from Egypt.

 

What is the most popular item on your menu?

 

It would have to be Wasabi Popcorn Shrimp.

Your first book was very successful; the recipes are delicious and easy to follow. Are you working on a second book?


Yes we are.

 

What kind of book? Is it going to be different from the first book?

 

Yes it’s going to be different. I believe it going to be something like recipes from each different cultures of my choice. My favorite recipes from different countries.

 

What is the best & the hardest thing about being a chef?

 

The best part and the hardest part are the same thing, you are mostly doing things. For others like the joy of cooking, when you’re done cooking a meal by yourself you lose your appetite from the smells and from tasting thing as you go along. The best thing about being a chef is that you’re making other people happy by doing something that easy for you but appreciated by them. The worst part about it is the hardest part you are doing all this for someone else (Laughs). Also, that no one wants to cooks for you because you’re a chef. When a friend invites you to his parent house, the mothers are scared and afraid. They end up trying to do something sophisticated and it maybe doesn’t turn out as good as if they tried to make something simple. For me I would appreciate (Macaroni and Cheese).

 

Which chef or cookbook author has inspired you most?

 

I know its a little bit Cliché let say but I really appreciate Jamie Oliver style of cooking and his recipes. He has no limits or borders. His recipes and ingredients can be from any culture following his books and his recipes. I want to say it have been a different kind of inspiration. It’s not were I look to find ideas but it’s more like the way he works. The way I try to apply that same method to the ideas that I like, his way of working.

 

Is there a particular cooking show on Fatafeat or other channels you like to watch?

 

Yes of course, honestly depending on my mood there’s a time for every cooking show. I like all of them. Each one of them has something to offer depending on what I’m looking for. I guess that why they are all on the same channel.

 

What’s your favorite Cuisine?

 

Greek, I like the recipes, style of cooking and the smells. A lot of the ingredients that they use in the Greek cuisine are some of my favorite like oregano, garlic, tomatoes, onion and olive oil. The basic staple that I like individually and together, I love eating it all the time.

 

You’re not a traditional chef you always create new recipes. How do you start creating a recipe and what inspires you?

 

It comes from different things. I always have notes in my phone when I try something new. I travel a lot and I visit many friends in different places. People that know me are not afraid to let me try things. They are always eager to let me try something new, to give me ideas and stuff. It’s very encouraging. It comes from many different things, the ideas could come in a restaurant, from traveling, from my friends or an idea that I have in my head it depends. Sometime I research in books or in a reference or online. Sometimes I go in forums and I post questions to get ideas. Sometimes I call friends or other chefs that worked with me from the beginning of my career till last year for advice and ideas. Then you start from their. When you have a bunch of ideas on paper and you have the time to go develop them, you get the ingredients. You go to the kitchen and get a scale and you start playing around. You start tuning the recipes and then you let people taste them. You finalize it. The ideas could come from any where, but that’s the recipe for making a recipe (Laugh).

 

When did you start creating recipes?

 

No, I have been creating recipes before I started cooking professionally. I always use to jump in on the grill at parties with friends; I use to try to come up with things I use to change things. I would tell my mom I want to eat different food and I tell her to mix ingredients so she would cook it and I would ask what is this taste, and she replies that taste from this particular ingredient then I would say ok next time make it without this! I guess because my parents were communicating with me about food all the time growing up that was an important thing in the house I guess I started creating things even before I was cooking.

 

What are some of the best recipes you’ve made on your show?
 

I don’t know. You have to ask the people who watch. I like anything that people find easy and what they are looking for and didn’t know where to find it then boom it’s there in front of them. For me that about it, I can’t think of things in specific to be honest over the years we have done hundreds of recipes between the book and the magazines and all the shoot, even the first season of Soup and Snacks. We also did another show we did one season but we didn’t continue after. We’re talking about over than 500 or 1000 recipes I ‘m lost in them! People sometimes tell me oh yesterday you were making this I tell them I don’t remember because it’s was last year.

 

Is there any complicated recipe you created that was so successful?

 

Not really, because if there’s any complicated recipe in front of me that I want to make for the show, my whole approach is to simplify it. I can have for example an old family recipe for something it’s like 15 steps I would play with it and turn it into five steps because if it’s too complicated then the people won’t be as interested or it will attract different kind of audience. We have other chef shows like Nermine for instance a (cordon bleu) chef. She does complicated sophisticated recipes I am sure the people that enjoy her show are looking for something different than what I am offering. I always stayed in my bubble simplifying things. Many times I have recipes that I send and simplify and I send again and we end up cutting them and not even doing them because it’s too complicated and doesn’t fit with the rest of the forma.

Is your new program on Fatafeat will be similar to Soup & Snacks?

No, the new show will be more like a reality show about opening a restaurant training the staff that type of things.

 

What are your hobbies other than cooking?

Traveling, I also enjoy swimming, reading and listening to music. But traveling by far is my favorite hobby. I try not to go out and save my time and money to travel. For me it’s a part of my inspiration. It has two benefits which are enjoying your time and it’s a learning experience as well.

 

Is the special restaurant you like to visit every time you travel?

 

When ever I’m in Dubai I always go to OKKU restaurant and I’m not a big fan of seafood, I only eat seafood when I’m there. I could eat a whole dinner of seafood. I was there for someone’s birthday once and they forced me as their birthday guest to try some specific foods and I liked it so much. I never wanted to try it any where else I don’t want to ruin the fact that I liked this one here. So that’s the place that I have to go to.

 

You grew up in Canada, is there any restaurant you like to visit when you go back to?

I grew up in Toronto. At the corner of my street there was a steak house called The Keg Mansion. It was my favorite place and when ever I go back I go there. It’s a steak house where they age their meat. They also salads, appetizers, dessert and great serves and good atmosphere. Because I grew up going there it will always have a special place in my heart and stomach (laugh).

 

Do you dream of opening your own restaurant in Canada because you have so many memories?

 

Maybe one day, I will have that dream. But for now no, because I don’t like the cold weather. I am afraid to even think about it.

 

What is your dreams career wise?

Basically I want to learn how to teach, I don’t know if it’s something you learn or something that comes naturally with getting older. Career wise I want to stop being so curios and start learning how to communicate with what I know and what I have leaned not on TV like one to one or with my staff. I think the new show that I want to do is like a step towards this. Because it’s going to put the spot light on that, its going to be training people. But I like to have a cooking school to open a (Cordon Bleu) school; this is something I could see myself doing at later stage of my life.

 

What advice would you give for young teens that dreams of becoming successful chefs?


Just keep cooking. If you make something and it’s not good then adjust it and make it again till its good. Always write down what you’re doing in the kitchen. Don’t expect that you’re going to remember exactly how you made it the first time because you won’t (laugh). This is a couple of the most important things for becoming a chef and you have to love food. If you don’t love it you won’t enjoy it. It’s great to be able to enjoy your job because not everyone does. 

 



 
  
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