Food lovers may remember David Rocco, a celebrity Canadian chef, food personality and best-selling author from his hit cooking series Dolce Vita or from his battle against Hong Kong star Nicholas Tse in Celebrity Chef: East Vs West. To the delight of his fans, the chef is back with a brand new show titled David Rocco's Dolce Southeast Asia on the National Geographic Channel, which takes place in Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia and features the uniqueness of food and culture in each country. You can catch the episodes, which recently premiered, exclusively on National Geographic.
After having travelled the world in search of delicious food, Rocco seems to have fallen in love exclusively with Asian cuisine. Despite his many travels in the region in which he has experienced the unique charms of sights and smells and flavours of Southeast Asian dishes, Rocco has once again decided to see what this tropical wonderland has in store for him. In David Rocco's Dolce Southeast Asia, viewers will see the travelling chef venture to places such as Penang, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, Ho Chi Minh City and Bangkok as he discovers their many secrets and delights. Along the way, Rocco sees first-hand the unique cultures thriving in rural villages as well as bustling cosmopolitan cities and learns all about traditional dishes as he samples street food and exotic dishes he has not had before, some of which include durian, fried spring rolls, fried crab, curry powder and more.
Rocco recently spoke to Life via Zoom to discuss his latest show, his interest in Asian dishes, and his sensational life of travel in search of exotic delicious food.
Malaysian river prawn dish.
Besides Dolce Vita, you have filmed quite a few spin-off docuseries in different parts of the world like India, Africa and Italy. So what was it about Southeast Asia that drew you to make a whole series about the region?
Well, it was mostly because I had already been to those places a number of times over the course of six months as I was travelling back and forth while working on Celebrity Chef: East Vs West back in 2018. I started really getting fond of those areas, the food, and just how amazing people were and I thought it was time for my next journey to go explore another area that was equally food-obsessed but had different cultures. It also helped that travel within the region is quite easy since you can travel around in Southeast Asia within a few hours by plane and end up several different places. So for me, there was lots to do, lots to see, and the food culture was the foundation.
The very first country you visited this season was Malaysia. How was your experience there and what is your favourite Malaysian dish?
What's really unique about Kuala Lumpur and Malaysia in general is how it brings different cultures together, which means the food scene there is fantastic. My favourite dish is probably nasi lemak. When I first had it for breakfast, I thought, how boring is that. Maybe it should be a little fancier? But after having it a few times, I was craving it. There's something about fragrant rice cooked in coconut milk and having it on the streets wrapped in a banana leaf that was perfect.
Celebrity chef David Rocco in Kuala Lumpur.
Rocco enjoys meal with a friend in Singapore.
As a Canadian chef with Italian heritage, what fascinates you the most about Southeast Asian cuisine?
Probably the use of sauces, spices and seafood. In Italy, seafood is often seasoned with just salt, olive oil and lemon juice but in countries like Thailand, there is both a sweet and spicy profile. In Indonesia, they also use sambal [chilli paste] for seafood. Meanwhile places like Malaysia and Singapore, there is a strong influence from different food cultures from Chinese, Malay and Indian which has a very definitive flavour and style of cooking curries and sauces, so it is interesting to see how different cultures view their ingredients.
What are your thoughts on Asian street food and fine dining restaurants?
In places like Thailand, the food is just amazing. What I enjoyed was the fact that there exists this duality. For example, you can have fantastic street food in Bangkok while watching motorcycles race by but at the same time be at this incredible fine dining restaurant just a few blocks away. You can also just wander down a soi and find yourself eating right out of someone's home tasting delicious mango sticky rice with some coconut sauce. There's this nice contrast and many street vendors will just focus on one or two dishes and master them to perfection. If you don't want the dishes they sell, then you can go to the next guy who does something completely different. So unlike restaurants in North America where you have the same 10 things, there's an integrity to cooking in Southeast Asia that has not changed. That's what they do and that's what they'll continue to do.
Each episode of your new show doesn't just focus on food but also highlights different aspects such as the struggles, hardships and lives of refugees in the country. Some episodes even focus on women's rights and artists in different places. What was it like to learn about their stories and their relationship with food as well?
It's interesting because I've been travelling and doing shows about food since 1999. However, over the last five years, I've had a real desire to not just look at the recipe and talk about ingredients -- I mean that was interesting -- but learn people's stories who you end up taking an interest in as you travel more and open your mind and heart. We didn't want to just share food with our viewers but also the stories of the people behind the food and their different ethnicities, religions, and just how everyone kind of really comes together in amazing harmony. What we found is that food is a unifying force since it places people in a comfortable space and allows them to open up and share their stories, their struggles and in a way they might not feel comfortable if not for a setting like this.
Do you have a philosophy in the kitchen?
When it comes to food, I actually prefer simple ingredients and simple dishes. There is something very comforting in the simplicity of an Italian spaghetti for example. Working hard is also very important. I come from an immigrant family and my parents taught me that if I outwork people around me, I'll be successful. So it's all about working hard and being authentic.
The Art In George Town episode.
What were the typical food items at your home when you were a child?
Well, I don't want to sound boring but as I just turned 50, looking back where I was growing up in the 70s and looking at how food today has changed around the world is quite difficult. Even my kids are exposed to sushi [laughs]. However, in my family, it was my grandmother and my mom -- like many Italian families -- who would cook all authentic Italian dishes. My two favourite dishes would be a really good homemade lasagna and meatballs with lots of tomato sauce.
David Rocco's Dolce Southeast Asia now airs on the National Geographic Channel, with two new episodes coming every Monday.
