An afternoon with Anna Olson

“I like to remind people that whenever you are stressed just remember that stressed spelled backwards is desserts”

- Anna Olson-

I’m a self professed TV addict. Put me in front of a television set and watch as my gaze turn all glassy as I focus on the screen, channel surfing every now and than trying to watch three to four shows at a time. Anyways, one of the few channels that I enjoy watching is the Asian Food Channel. I love watching all these professional chefs cook up a storm in their kitchen, or studios, making everything look so effortless. It makes me want to be a chef! Some of the shows that I especially love are Nigella Bites, Chef at home, Licence to grill, French food at home, Jamie at home, Fresh with Anna Olson and Sugar. So it’s no surprise that I was ecstatic when I was told that I would get to attend a round table interview and cooking demonstration by Anna Olson! Sigh, be still my tummy! I arrived at the Le Meridien on time and waited with the distinct sound of someone’s tummy rumbling. Come to think of it was probably my tummy.

Anyways, Anna Olson made her entry, right on time, and took her spot behind a makeshift table loaded with all the ingredients she would need. I must say the one thing I admire about celebrity chefs is their ability to keep up a steady stream of lively chatter as they cook and bake for a whole half hour. And Anna did not fail to entertain the small group of media as she charmed us with tales of her bloopers while filming as well as giving out a few tips here and there on baking. She also explained the process of filming a cooking show and I must say I was a little surprise to find out that it took hours just to film a five minute segment as she had to do it many times in different angles.

The best part about the cooking demonstration is that we got to smell and taste what we normally drool over on TV. The three recipes that she made for us were the Butter Raisin Tart which is sinfully and deliciously sweet, Maple Walnut Ice Cream that had the sweet taste of maple syrup and the delightful crunch of walnut, and the Apple Cheddar Date Muffin which was sweet and savoury at the same time. “All three desserts are calorie free”, jokes Anna.

After the cooking demonstration, I and a few other writers waited to be called in for our turn at the round table interview. As we walked in, we all received a warm greeting from both Anna and her husband, who’s also a chef, Chef Michael Olson! “We were both cooking professionally before we met each other, and that taught us to be tolerant of each other. In fact we both work well together and there’s never a clash in the kitchen,” Anna assures us.

The bubbly Anna explains that although she loved cooking while growing up, it wasn’t her first choice as a career path. In fact she studied sociology and dabbled in the world of finance for awhile. “Cooking wasn’t my first choice. I was in banking and knew I wasn’t cut out for it when I realised that I wasn’t happy doing it. One time I was trying to sleep after having a bad day and I just couldn’t. And next thing I knew I was in the kitchen making banana muffins! Not because I was hungry, but because that was the only thing that calmed me down and made me think clearly. And that’s when I realised that cooking and baking was the only thing that made me happy. I call it my muffin epiphany!” Anna jokes.

This is the first time that Anna is in Malaysia, and the second time for her husband Chef Michael. “I was here 26 years ago and don’t recognize a thing. Kuala Lumpur looks completely different from when I was here,” he says. Seeing as it’s her first time here, Anna did not waste any time in trying out some of the local delicacies. “I love gula melaka and pandan! If I could take a whole lot back with me it would be wonderful! I did try the durian. It made an impression but I didn’t go back for a second piece,” says Anna thoughtfully. “I thought it was delicious and I did go back for a second piece. But it does have a wet Kleenex texture to it though, says Chef Michael as the whole table broke out in laughter.

Now we all know that being a celebrity chef is a tough feat as compared to a regular chef. So I had to ask what her secret to being a good celebrity chef is. “The secret to being a good celebrity chef is to not think of yourself as a celebrity. After finishing the first season of sugar, my director Randy told me that things could get a little funny. He said; don’t believe your own press. Because the good stuff will go to your head and the bad stuff will mess with your head and drive you crazy. So just let it all be. So I try not to delve on that part of it and just do what I do. Just keep your head on and be kind to people. If your mean to people on your way up their not going to be sympathetic on your way down,” stresses Anna.

So does it take god-given talent to be a good chef? “Not really. I believe a 100% that anyone can be a good cook. It takes a combination of pure passion, desire and practice. You have to understand who you’re cooking for. So if mistakes happen when your cooking for friends, well their your friends so they will forgive you. And if your cooking for family their your family they have to forgive you! I mean I didn’t even know how to season food properly. It took practice and good mentoring for me to learn. So no, talent is something that can be acquired with practice.”

As our interview session come to an end, I had to ask the all important (the most common question every writer HAS to ask) question, what’s next for Anna Olson? “That’s a good question, a little hard to answer though. From working my way up in Niagara, writing my book together with my husband and doing the show, nothing was ever really planned. So we’ll just have to see. My husband and I just try to say yes to opportunities. Besides not letting things get to your head opportunity does not wait for convenience. So it’s best to leave yourself open to say yes to something unexpected. So who knows?

And that concluded my meet and greet with AFC’s darling, Anna Olson. As you can tell, I was indeed charmed by her down to earth persona. She didn’t have a drop of diva-ness in her. In fact it felt like we were all just sitting and having a conversation instead of me interviewing a world famous chef. Before leaving, Anna actually wrote down all our food suggestions for her to try before she left the country. I just told her to go for the hawker stuff because we all know that’s the best place to try everything! Now all I hope for is to catch Chef Michael Smith from Chef at home if and when he makes his way down to Kuala Lumpur. Fingers crossed!

Fresh with Anna Olson is now in its 3^rd season and airs every Tuesdays at 9pm on the Asian Food Channel, the premier food and lifestyle broadcaster based in the heart of Asia.

Published in the January 2011 issue of Vision KL