Gutsy little chef
THE latest culinary competition to appear on Lifetime channel is Man vs Child: Chef Showdown, in which five of the world’s most talented young cooks pit their cooking skill against professional trained experienced chefs.
Each week, a prominent executive chef will face off against the team of young chefs who comprises eight-year-old Estie (Esther) Kung; Holden Dahlerbruch, 14; Emmalee Abrams, 12; Dylan Russett, 12; and Cloyce Martin, 13.
This series premieres on Lifetime (Astro channel 709) on Jan 26 at 7pm.
Estie was in Kuala Lumpur recently for the show’s promotional tour.
At a media event at Le Meridian Kuala Lumpur, this Chinese-American child prodigy from Hollywood, California, faced off against the hotel’s executive chef Antoine Rodriquez in a friendly competition, where they also judged each other’s cooking effort.
In 20 minutes, Estie cooked a seared salmon served with clam chowder, while Rodriquez served up gnocchi with lobster sauce.
Before she started cooking, the precocious girl did her signature “I am watching you” gesture from the show, and ended the challenge by eating a banana (her favourite fruit), even offering one to her challenger.
It was during this demonstration that we learned that she became interested in cooking when she was three years old, when she saw her mother preparing a meal.
She also hopes to one day write a cookbook and get more children inspired by food.
When not cooking on Man vs Child, Estie attends regular school like any little girl and even competes with her friend Alice in an omelette-making competition.
When asked what dish she likes making the best, Estie said: “My favourite dish to make is a steak – fillet mignon. I butter baste it. That’s my secret.”
Her favourite food is caviar, which is something she tried at age three during a New Year’s eve party and has loved it ever since.
While her food tastes may be very sophisticated, Estie is still a little girl at heart – her cooking utensils all have names.
“I have a spatula I call Count Spatula, and I name my whisk, Whiskers.”
It was also hilarious when she told the audience that her favourite singer is Madonna and started singing Get into the Groove, innocently oblivious to the meaning behind some of the lyrics.
Seeking her advice on how to introduce new food to young children, she said: “Don’t tell them what it is. I once introduced this dish to my younger cousin who was five.
“She loved it but when I told her it was salmon, she ... (making an impression of throwing up). If you don’t tell them what it is, they will love it.”
Other than her mum, Estie said she learned cooking from attending cooking classes, watching videos, and also by teaching herself.
Her food hero is chef Ludovic ‘Ludo’ Lefebvre who also makes an appearance in the first season.
Asked to send a message to all her soon-to-be fans, she waved and exclaimed: “Hello! I think all of you are awesome.”
Viewers can catch Estie in action in the premiere episode of Man vs Child: Chef Showdown, aptly entitled Don’t Under-Estie-mate Her.