‘Love is through the stomach’: Malibu woman takes part in TV cooking show • The Malibu Times

deleciousfood | July 17, 2024 | Asian Food | No Comments

Malibu resident Mae Chandran, who appears on the upcoming season of PBS’s “The Great American Recipe,” was born in Guangzhou, in southern China. Her signature dish is her Cantonese BBQ chicken, which is made with chicken thighs, Chinese brown bean sauce, hoisin sauce and Sriracha sauce. Photo courtesy of editor

Mae Chandran Shares Her Culinary Culture and Expertise on “The Great American Recipe”

Mae Chandran’s culinary talents have propelled the Malibu resident from home cook to television personality with her upcoming appearance on the new season of the hit PBS show “The Great American Recipe.”

Season 3, which premieres June 17, stars the charming 76-year-old as the show’s oldest contestant in a friendly, upbeat competition that celebrates the multiculturalism that makes American cuisine so delicious and vibrant. The Malibu Times I had the opportunity to chat with this very dynamic personality who did not want to reveal the result of the show, but who offered some convincing reasons to watch it.

Chandran has lived in Malibu for 38 years. She was born in China, moved to Hong Kong when she was young, then moved to the United States when she was 8, settling in Fall River, Massachusetts. She and her family lived above her family’s American Chinese restaurant.

“I grew up in the restaurant business,” said the mother of two Malibu High School graduates.

“I’ve always loved food,” she says, citing the regional cuisine of her New England youth, especially shellfish like clams. But as a child, Chandran wasn’t allowed in a commercial kitchen. She had to wait until the restaurant closed at 10 p.m. to practice her skills and experiment in the kitchen. She devoured cookbooks and collected recipes, and though she wanted to study culinary arts, she earned degrees from UCLA and an MBA from Loyola. She taught a few cooking classes in Los Angeles while raising her children. But Chandran says she’s basically “self-taught. My love for cooking never went away.”

Chandran had never heard of “The Great American Recipe” until a casting agent found her. The other contestants were discovered through their food-related Instagram accounts. Chandran also posts on Instagram but commented, “I’m not just interested in food. I’m interested in gardening, my family. I’m the only one they didn’t find through Instagram.”

The grandmother of two had to go through “a very rigorous process” to finally be cast. Chandran was flown to Nashville last October for nearly a month of filming the eight-episode series. She worked 12 to 14 hours a day, and when asked if she could keep up, Chandran told producers: “What a dumb question. I come from a restaurant background. We were open seven days a week. I said, ‘Yeah, what’s the problem?’ I think they wanted to know because of my age. But I have more energy than other people my age.”

On the show, contestants are asked to prepare regional dishes and foods they grew up eating. They have just one hour to cook and plate the dish. Chandran cooked a dish that is “very common in California” but she is not allowed to reveal it at this time.

Unlike other reality cooking shows, “The Great American Recipe” doesn’t eliminate contestants. When asked what the winner gets, Chandran says, “Nothing. That’s the beauty of it.” The winner gets bragging rights and, Chandran says, “the privilege of being the winner.” It’s that attitude that makes Chandran so charming. “It’s a very well-rounded, inclusive show,” she adds.

“It’s a heartwarming show. I think I’m going to become friends with all these people because each of us is so normal. We help each other out. I would hate to be on a show that’s ruthless, where they’re eliminating people. This show is about inclusion.”

In total, Chandran created nearly 20 dishes. One of them was a dish her mother had served her and which she remembered from her childhood.

“This show is about family traditions and how America is made up of all nationalities and all types of cuisine,” she said. “We talk about tradition and how a recipe is passed down through the ages and how we feel about it. I think it’s going to be an eye-opener for a lot of people because it’s not just about food. It’s about how food connects us and how different people celebrate different holidays. One of the dishes we made was to celebrate events, another was a signature dish.”

Chandran’s dishes were described as Cantonese, a cuisine the Malibu resident called “very delicate.” But after marrying a man who loved spicy food, her cooking style changed to “a lot of heat and spice.”

She concluded: “Thanks to my husband, I learned how to use curry and spices. Love goes through the stomach, doesn’t it?”