Roger Mooking

Roger Mooking

Mooking pauses to talk, during a demonstration at the CNE.
Born Trinidad
Education George Brown Culinary Management Program

Culinary career

Cooking style Global

Roger Mooking is a Canadian chef, musician, and TV host. Born in Trinidad and raised in Edmonton, Alberta,[1] Roger Mooking the host of the 2012-2015 television series "Man Fire Food" and is the host and co-creator of Everyday Exotic, both airing on the Cooking Channel[2] and Food Network Canada. He also appears on Heat Seekers with Aarón Sanchez on Food Network.[3] Roger has made guest appearances on shows such as Today, Good Morning America, The Marilyn Denis Show, Iron Chef America, Top Chef Canada, and Chopped: Canada.[4]

With artists Chin Injeti and Ivana Santilli, Mooking was one third of the 1990s Juno Award-winning R&B, funk, hip-hop trio Bass Is Base.

Early life

Roger was born in Trinidad and moved to Canada at the age of five.[1] With both Caribbean and Chinese ancestry, Roger has received exposure to several cultural influences that inspired his journey into the world of food and music.[5]

With an extended family made up of food and beverage business providers in Trinidad, as a child, Roger was surrounded by conversations that often turned to food.[6] After moving to Canada, Roger was introduced to European flavors due to his mother's curiosity with dishes and recipes that her Ukrainian neighbors prepared.[7][8]

Career

Chef

Roger has developed a culinary philosophy built on perfect execution of globally inspired culinary traditions. His style of cooking is powered by a pantry full of spices from the different corners around the globe.[9]

Roger received his professional culinary development at George Brown College of Hospitality where he earned top honors[10] and still continues to operate as the chair of the Professional Advisory Committee.[6] Roger expanded his culinary experience at Toronto's world-renowned Royal York Hotel before co-owning and consulting on many food and beverage operations in Ontario.[11]

During his years as a restaurateur, Roger was the Executive Chef/Co-Owner of Kultura Social Dining and Nyood Restaurant. Both restaurants were named Top 10 restaurants in Toronto and helped solidify his reputation as one of Canada's premier chefs.[5]

Television Appearances

Roger is the host on two television shows, Heat Seekers and Man Fire Food.[12] He is also the co-creator and host of Everyday Exotic.[12] Everyday Exotic explores flavors from around the globe and shows viewers how to use these ingredients in everyday cooking.[13] On each episode, Mr. Mooking takes on the transformative behavior of a single "exotic" ingredient such as curry powder or daikon, to sass up dinner standards.[5] As the main host of Man Fire Food on the Cooking Channel, Roger travels around the U.S. exploring different ways to cook, using small campfires to creative custom-made grills and smokers.[14] Roger Mooking recently was named as a recurring judge on Food Network's Chopped: Canada.[15]

Chef Mooking has also been the subject of an hour-long biography titled "Chefography" for Cooking Channel, where the broadcasters followed the intimate details of his career passions from birth to today.[16]

His culinary talents have led to appearances on The Today (U.S. TV program) Show, Good Morning America, Iron Chef America, Top Chef Canada, The Marilyn Denis Show (as the Culinary Expert), Wendy Williams, Martha Stewart Radio, Unique Eats, Williams Sonoma's Grilling Special, and Steven and Chris, to name a few.[17] Roger has also made regular appearances at various food and wine festivals globally, including New York Food and Wine Festival and The Essence Music Festival.[18]

Author

Roger’s cookbook, "Everyday Exotic: The Cookbook", hit the shelves in 2011,[19] transforming ordinary meals around the world and garnering an award from the prestigious Gourmand World Cookbook awards held annually in Paris.[10]

In his book "Everyday Exotic", Roger bridges the cultural divide by adding unconventional ingredients to traditional dishes. Pot roast, for example, is braised with fresh ginger, ginger beer, and cinnamon. Mooking calls these exotic additions “obedient ingredients”[20] and devotes short chapters to them, explaining what they are and offering a handful of recipes for each. There are dozens in the book, spanning cultures from Asia to the Middle East, Europe, the Caribbean, and the Americas.[20]

Recording Artist

Roger is an acclaimed Juno Award-winning recording artist who released his second solo album, "Feedback", in July 2013.[21]

During the 1990s, before he began his adventures in the culinary world, Roger was a member of the Juno Award-winning soul trio, Bass Is Base.[11] The band consisted of Chin Injeti on bass, Ivana Santilli on keyboards, and MC Mystic (Roger Mooking) on percussion. All three members contributed vocals, Injeti and Santilli as singers and Mystic as a rapper. In addition to the early single "Funkmobile", which garnered the band a deal with A&M Records, their debut album, First Impressions for the Bottom Jigglers,[22] won a Juno Award in the Best R&B/Soul Recording category in 1995.[23] A year later, the second consequential album, Memories of the Soul Shack Survivors,[22] gave the band its first Top 20 hit, “I Cry.”[23]

Over the years, Roger has shared stages with James Brown, Celine Dion, the Marley Family, Busta Rhymes, The Roots, and The Guess Who's Burton Cummings.[24] He continues his love of music along with his love for food.

Discography

Charitable work

Roger has dedicated his time and resources to both local and international charities such as World Vision Canada[30] and Save the Children.

Roger recently paired up with World Vision Canada and made a trip to Cambodia to exchange information and ideas about child nutrition, and to bring awareness to the issues of healthy food and clean water for families in all countries.[30][31]

In Fall 2012, Roger traveled to Bangladesh to visit nutrition-related programming run by Save the Children and to meet with community groups, medical clinics, and local families and explore ways to create sustainable health and nutrition programs so that successful concepts can be applied worldwide.[32] The health and nutrition services provided by the MaMoni Project have been saving lives in Bangladesh for more than three decades.[32]

Roger is also committed to Toronto-based charity Second Harvest, co-hosting its annual charity Toronto Taste, for providing rescued food to families in need.[33]

Personal life

Roger is married and has four daughters.[34] He has claimed to have "never [cooked] the same thing twice."[35]

References

  1. 1 2 "Quill $ Quire: Everyday Exotic The Cookbook".
  2. , cookingchanneltv.com
  3. , footnetwork.com
  4. , imdb.com
  5. 1 2 3 "Globe & Mail: Roger Mooking – Being a Chef ‘was in my soul’"
  6. 1 2 "George Brown|Alumni Stories"
  7. http://www.cookingchanneltv.com/shows/everyday-exotic/400/napa-cabbage.html
  8. http://avenueedmonton.com/articles/eats-beats
  9. "Food Network Canada|Roger Mooking".
  10. 1 2 "The Cooking Channe|Roger Mooking"
  11. 1 2 "The Marilyn Denis Show|Roger Mooking Resident Chef".
  12. 1 2 "Sunday Spotlight". cbc.ca. 2008. Archived from the original on January 6, 2009. Retrieved 2008-10-05.
  13. http://www.foodnetwork.ca/ontv/shows/everyday-exotic/show.html?titleid=119211
  14. http://www.cookingchanneltv.com/shows/man-fire-food.html
  15. https://www.facebook.com/ChoppedCanada
  16. "IMDB: Chefography". May 13, 2012.
  17. "IMDB: Roger Mooking - Self".
  18. "Random Cravings"
  19. http://www.amazon.com/Everyday-Exotic-Cookbook-Roger-Mooking/dp/1770500642
  20. 1 2 "Quill $ Quire: Everyday Exotic The Cookbook"
  21. 1 2 "artist Roger Mooking". CBC News. Retrieved 2015-12-27.
  22. 1 2 "Bass is Base Discography"
  23. 1 2 http://www.last.fm/music/Bass+Is+Base
  24. http://www.marilyn.ca/About/Bios/RogerMooking
  25. 1 2 "Warner Music Canada"
  26. "CBC music"
  27. "The Marilyn Denis Show|Roger Mooking Resident Chef"
  28. https://itunes.apple.com/ca/artist/bass-is-base/id42150002#fullText
  29. https://itunes.apple.com/ca/artist/bass-is-base/id42150002#fullTextM
  30. 1 2 "WorldVision Media"
  31. "Roger Mooking Cooking up Justice"
  32. 1 2 "Save the Children|The Extra Plate"
  33. "Toronto Taste"
  34. http://theextraplate.ca/roger
  35. "Williams Sonoma: Meet Chef Roger Mooking"

External links

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