THE Food Aid Foundation was founded by Rick Chee, a well-known entrepreneur in the food service industry. With more than 25 years of experience, Chee used his expertise and clout to form a team as a base for a foundation to not let food go to waste and not to let those in need go to sleep hungry.
One of the board members and co-founders of Food Aid Foundation is Prof Chef Zamzani Abdul Wahab, the celebrity chef most of us know as Chef Zam. He was brought in not only as the face of the foundation but also for his expertise.
Chef Zam explains that the foundation works with sponsors and other organisations to gather surplus food and groceries from manufacturers, distributors, wholesalers and retailers.
He emphasised that the surplus the foundation gathers are all still in good, consumable condition that would otherwise go to waste. These foods would be categorised as out of specification, close to expiry, incorrect labelling, damaged packaging, discontinued promotional products as well as excess stock and customer returns.
The collected food will then be distributed to charitable and welfare homes, volunteer welfare organisations, refugee communities, poor families and soup kitchens, where it could be cooked or prepared to further extend its shelf life.
“It was not an easy task at first. We did not know how to start a foundation. We wanted to name it Food Bank, but the name was rejected by Bank Negara,” Chef Zam said in jest.
Founded in 2013, the Food Aid Foundation has built a partnership with some of the biggest names in food manufacturing, distribution, wholesale, retail and more, including banks, hotels and universities.
In addition to his fame, with pages and pages of credits for his appearances in TV shows, commercial projects and media campaigns, there is another side to Chef Zam’s career that is rarely talked about. He is an academician with more than 26 years of experience teaching all around the world.
Backed by his knowledge and experience, he also advocates issues on Malaysia’s relationship with food, beginning with the promotion of healthy eating.
He believes celebrities and public figures have a responsibility to be a role model for healthy eating and not just promoting unhealthy foods and snacks.
Chef Zam said that this is most prevalent during the lockdown. As more people turn to digital platforms, those who have influence on those platforms have a responsibility to be a good example and promote healthier food options, not just junk food, he added.
At the same time, Malaysians should be more proud of Malaysian food and treat it with respect.
“Overseas, we often see Malaysian food represented by Nasi Lemak, Roti Canai and Teh Tarik. To foreigners, this is an unhealthy set full of sugar and fat. But these are not the only foods that we have,” said Chef Zam.
He compared how Malaysia represents its foods with Thailand.
“Thai food is much more prevalent worldwide. This is because they promote their food based on flavours and textures.”
When it comes to which foods should represent Malaysia, Chef Zam admits he is partial to Terengganu food. But, he said regional differences of a dish should not be made an issue.
He gave the example of Neapolitan Pizza, which is pizza from Naples and has a wide range of toppings. And yet, it represents Italy. It is the same with Tom Yam. Each region of Thailand would have its version of the dish, but the dish as a whole represents Thailand.
Another food trend Chef Zam observed that is different in Malaysia is the food truck. When people are not encouraged to eat out, where are they during the lockdown?
“Unlike in other countries, food truck fare in Malaysia is expensive and the food they serve is not always healthy. This is mainly because of the price of renting a lot and all the bureaucracy. Sometimes, it is just more feasible to open a brick and mortar eatery,” said Chef Zam.
With all that he has done in the culinary industry, one would think that Chef Zam had always loved food and wanted to be a chef. However, that was not the case. Because he did not do well in school, by the time he got out, he had only two options.
“Either be a secretary, which was unheard of for men, or go into culinary,” said Chef Zam.
Now he is a professor with more than 30 years experience in the industry, six books to his name, and multiple awards and recognition that he can be proud of.
