Have you heard of Chef Big Zuu (real name Zuhair Hassan)? Well, he’s new on the TV block, so to speak, and his “Big Zuu’s 12 Dishes in 12 Hours” premiered on Tuesday.
If you missed it, check the channel for repeats and be sure to check it episode two this week.
Zuu’s rise to stardom was in the music space, strumming his skills as a rapper, singer, songwriter and DJ. It was circa 2018 that he veered into television.
A larger-than-life personality, his charisma has endeared him to viewers.
And our recent interview was no different.
On bagging his own cooking show, which, despite the proliferation of shows on the small screen and streaming platforms, is no cakewalk.
He shared: “I started on Snapchat, cooking for vibes, and I used to be a presenter on radio as well, so that kind of helped. But I just did a lot of different stuff, and a TV company saw what I was doing, and they offered me a show, and the rest is history. It's been seven years of grinding.”
Zuu's new six-part series follows him and celebrity guests, like South Africa's Oti Mabuse, as they journey across Europe. They experience the true flavour of each city by sampling local delicacies.
On travelogue cooking shows he’s personally enjoyed, Zuu shared: “‘Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives’ by Guy Fieri, one of my favourite, favourite programs ever made. And Action Bronson man, the show is called ‘Fu*k, That's Delicious’, one of the greatest programs ever made.
“And Mark Wiens. Everything Mark does makes me say, ‘Oh, wow’. This is what he says all the time, He went to South Africa. I watched all the episodes of him in Africa. He had this massive burger that you guys have, like this crazy big burger (called a kota).”
Although he had a blast filming this cooking series, he shared his highlights as well as the key elements that he wanted to be included.
He shared: “I ensure that we get few people from different backgrounds. The more random the background, the story, I'm interested.
“You know, I've eaten so many different types of food, and I've been lucky enough to be all over the world and eat, but I still get surprised to this day. And then when you see I'm genuinely excited. It makes the viewer be like, ‘Right, you know, that must be good’.”
He had fond memories of sharing the screen with Mabuse, too.
Zuu recalled: “She told me that you eat the bones when it comes to the chicken. We had a whole chicken, chewing the bone. I said that's what my mom does. She's like, ‘Yeah, that's what we do back home’.
“Oti is incredible. She's very funny, very sweet. She's also told me about how her mother was so regiment in making her successful, that Oti never got time to be in the kitchen.
“She never really learned how to cook, because the mom was like, your place, not in the kitchen, your place is out there getting it done.
“Her sisters are successful. They're inspirational.”
Another standout interaction on the show is with Patrice.
Zuu added: “It’s a different take on travel shows, a different vibe and good insight into the famous people on my show. You know, being able to eat through the Patrice across London is a treat, man.
“He's such a funny dude, and he's such an interesting story. And he talks about all the siblings he has; almost 15 brothers and sisters. He's got, like, 42 nieces and nephews.
“He is the real Santa Claus. So it's good to talk to him about his Senegalese background.”
With shows of this nature, where your knowledge of food is expanded by different cultures and communities, Zuu enjoyed a few learning curves along the way.
He said: “I think that food is connected to travel, in terms of like with migration, refugees, immigrants, food comes from people travelling across the world, whether it's spices, whether it's techniques, whether it's a version of a dish, without integration …
“I think Europe is very lucky for migrants, refugees and people that are displaced because that's what lets them get to taste different places from across the world.”
∎ “Big Zuu’s 12 Dishes in 12 Hours” airs on BBC Lifestyle (DStv channel 174) on Tuesday at 8pm.