Catch comedian Kanan Gill try his hand at cooking before a live audience for the first time, with a little help from chef Kelvin Cheung
Chef Kelvin Cheung teaches comedian Kanan Gill how to chop vegetables. Pics courtesy/Aniket Dasgupta for OML
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You've seen Kanan Gill crack hilarious gags at his stand-up comedy shows. But have you seen him crack an egg? After a week of practice, he's all set to showcase his newly acquired skill of cooking at an event titled I Can Do That, where he will prepare a dish before a panel of judges and an audience.
"I get a kick out of watching the process and progress made by someone when they're learning a skill, and how they get better at it eventually. So, I decided to push that to another level, where I learn something new within a week," Gill explains.
He chose to go with cooking as his first challenge. "I've always been Maggi-level bad at it. No, worse. Overcooked Maggi-level bad," he laughs. So, he approached chef Kelvin Cheung, who helms the kitchens at Bandra restaurants Bastian, The Drunken Clam, and One Street Over.
What did he learn from Cheung? "I spent 11 hours with Kanan at the start of the week, teaching him the basics. Things like how to chop and dice vegetables, and how to cook chicken," says Cheung.
The chef is known to be a task master in the kitchen, making employees do burpees (squat thrusts) every time they make a mistake. "I think I must have done 100 burpees that day. I don't know, I lost count," says Gill.
Since then, the aspiring cook has been honing his newfound skills with the help of YouTube tutorials. "I've made a lot of food, but most of it is bad," he confesses, adding, "But I'm thoroughly enjoying the process. And the more I practise, the less bad the food gets."
The duo shares a light moment
On the day of the event, Cheung will ask Gill to prepare a dish using the techniques he has taught him. "He has no idea what's coming.
I will be throwing in a few curveballs to make things interesting," chuckles the chef. He adds that while the comedian will be left to his own devices through the event, he will have a lifeline he can use if he hits a stumbling block.
While Cheung will be part of the panel judging Gill, the audience seated at the venue will get to watch him either succeed or fail miserably at his task. Rest easy, you won't be forced to eat whatever Gill ends up cooking. Instead, the team at Bastian will serve guests a three-course meal.
Initially, I Can Do That was to feature a couple of videos documenting Gill's experience of learning a skill. However, it has now been expanded to be a series of five episodes.
"Next, I'm going to learn how to make electronic music," says Gill enthusiastically.
Before signing off, we wish Gill luck with his endeavour. Cheung immediately interjects: "I think you need to wish me luck. I'm the one who has to taste his food," he laughs.
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