Quick Q10 with Shane Delia

This is the first installment of my new series ‘Quick Q 10’.

‘Quick Q 10’ is me asking ten quick questions to a hospitality person.  It may be a chef, a barista, a sommelier, a restaurant owner.  Whoever it is they will be a person that has a passion or an interest in the hospitality industry.

A couple of months ago I was lucky enough to go on set with celebrity chef and owner of Maha Restaurant Shane Delia.  It was heaps of fun and great insight.  And Shane is really exciting. The passion and love that he expresses in his cooking is enchanting.

I met Shane on the set of his new SBS TV show ‘Shane Delia’s Spice Journey’.  The show is a culinary pilgrimage to Shane’s homeland in the Middle East.  Over the coming weeks, to coincide with the premier of Spice Journey, I will share my story about Shane Delia. But first here’s a taste of the man himself with my ‘Quick Q 10’.

Quick Q 10 with Chef Shane Delia

FFYR - Congratulations on your new SBS TV show, Shane Delia’s Spice Journey.  It looks fantastic – how did the concept and the show come about?

SD – I got a phone call from a production company about two years ago out of the blue when setting up St Kat’s asking if I was interested in doing a show in the Middle East.  Because of my interest in Middle Eastern food, my descendancy and my wife being Lebanese it was a perfect fit.

FFYR - You have been described as innovative, driven, passionate, humble – how would you best describe yourself?

SD – I’m just a cook…I’m just a cook! The only thing I can do is cook.  I love being in the kitchen.  All of the other stuff has been a blessing and a bonus.

FFYR – So would you say your success has been accidental?

SD – I always wanted to be successful, but my perception of successful is to have things in my life like my kids, my wife, my family, and my parents around me.  To be happy is my measure of success.

FFYR – Do you think fame has changed you at all?

SD – You’d be stupid to think that all that stuff doesn’t affect you.  It affects everyone positively and negatively.  You have to remember I’m just a boy from the western suburbs that wasn’t meant to achieve anything. 

FFYR – Tell me how that was for you growing up.

SD – I suffered from A.D.D as a kid and was one of the first waves of kids to be properly treated.  It was a big turning point when I was properly diagnosed and suddenly my academic life really changed.  But my heart was still with cooking.

FFYR – How do you feel when people recognize you during your ‘down time’?

SD – You take the good with the bad and there is more good that bad.  It’s nice when somebody in public comes up and says, “I really like what you’re doing”.  That’s great.

FFYR – Your wife, Maha, must keep your feet on the ground?

SD – Yeah definitely.  We come from similar family backgrounds.  We both had really happy upbringings.  I’m really lucky she provides a strong base at home so I can do what I do.

FFYR - You have said that you knew you would always be a Chef and that becoming a Chef would gain you respect from your family.  But if you weren’t a Chef and could be anything in the world – with no reservations – what would you be?

SD – To be God honest I am really happy being a Chef.  There is not one other job that I’d prefer to do than be a Chef.  The freedom and creativity, the people I work with and the customers I see.  I get that instant gratification.  I put a meal down and it’s either hot or not.

FFYR - What keeps you inspired to create?

SD – This show has been good for that – to do more, to travel.  Keeping my staff motivated drives me to create new things and regular customers push me to be creative.

FFYR - Are you are a realist or a visionary?

SD – I think I’m a realist.  I have to live in reality…I have to.  I’ve got a family to support.  I don’t like to let myself drift off with the fairies although I do have these visions about what I’d love to do.  My head’s in the clouds and my feet are firmly on the ground.

Shane Delia’s Spice Journey airs on Thursday May 2^nd at 7.30pm on SBS ONE.