At 5’9, I stood tall amongst them by a foot or two, which only accentuated their apparently timid and bashful characters. Their Mayan furniture and agricultural tools, obviously made to scale, shrunk in comparison to the Chefs, who sat on tiny stools and ate on low tables at the Welcome Dinner.  It was evident that we had landed in a very distinctive and rich culture that was nothing like what the chefs and I had met before.

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In Belize. I sampled for the first time very interesting and unusual proteins including armadillo, iguana and gibnut. The armadillo was an impressive dish, not only for its chewy, dry and bland texture and taste; but for its Mayan presentation. Its characteristic outer shell of ‘armor’, made for both a perfect grilling and serving plate. Nature usually provides some of life’s perfect solutions!

Iguanas have such an ancient and majestic look about them. I expected its meat to be tough and dense, but the Mayans had prepared this dish so that it was ‘gamey’ in flavor with chicken-like in texture.  The chefs showed off their elite talents in turning these proteins into tasty dishes. I was particularly impressed with Kayne’s ability to impress the locals with Gibnut–a type of rodent!

For me, the most exhilarating part of the episode was the chefs arrival.  Standing that close to a landing helicopter and feeling the power of the rotors was thrilling. I was trying hard to keep my feet firmly on the ground. My knees were knocking together from the sheer excitement and nervousness of such a beautiful machine hovering directly above my head!

The biggest challenge of Belize were the bugs. We were shooting in thick dense jungle – their natural habitat, so the bugs could argue that we bugged them. No matter how many layers of clothing we piled on (bearing mind that it was extremely hot and humid) and how much we doused ourselves in bug spray, they still managed to eat us all alive! They really got us  as the sun was setting, generally the most beautiful and photogenic part of the day! This show location was untamed and unforgiving, but luscious and enchanting nonetheless.

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Despite the glorious sunshine against stunning backdrops of the Sacramento Mountains and gorgeous prairies, it was really chilly. Temperatures plummeted even further during the night, but that didn’t stop me standing outside to admire one of the the most incredible full moons I have ever seen.  It looked so large and close and was surrounded by a cloudless sky bursting with twinkling stars.  The moon lit up my dramatic surrounding landscapes the way a spotlight would on a theatrical stage.  For me, that was one of the most magnificent moments of this shoot.

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The chefs rode into the show on saddle-less horses – the look and feel of their arrival was dreamy.  It felt like we were about to film a John Wayne movie. One of the Chircahua guides proudly showed me his highly engineered cross-bow made in-part from Titanium.  The technology and design involved in this beautiful piece of machinery was impressive – how far they had come from the traditional wooden bows and arrows, which the chefs used during the native challenge.  I take my hat off to the the chefs, particularly Michael, who eventually mastered the art of archery.  As a result of winning the native challenge, he chose to hunt Turkey, which he did very effectively – his hunt on this episode was impressive.  The dishes he subsequently prepared were unbelievably good – perhaps because they were familiar dishes to me, prepared to exceptional standards as always.  His dishes were certainly my favorite of the episode!

Now back in London, I’m kicking myself that I didn’t buy some traditional moccasins from the Chiricahua.  The women of the tribe even measured me up for a pair because I had been admiring theirs.  I decided not to purchase them in the end because the leather was only available in their very light natural colors and I felt that I wouldn’t be able to wear them much in London – we tend to wear dark dreary colors here, perhaps to blend in with the weather!  How wrong I was – the latest fashions here are all about Moccasins! Oh well, at the very least, I got to see the beautiful traditional clothes of the Chiricahua first hand and when I see people wearing adaptations of their style here – it will remind me a this wonderful episode!

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Their elementary villages were dotted around the area, one located against an impressive backdrop of vertically steep white limestone.

As always with the filming of each episode, I took a multitude of photographs when I could, hoping to capture an insight of their daily lives.  It was difficult to include the vastness of the limestone rocks and their tiny houses within one frame, as their proportions were on opposite ends of the scale.  This land was awe-inspiring to us, as we bopped about in our long boats admiring it from a distance.

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The sincere, weathered faces and kind natures of the Urak Lawoi reminded me of my Malaysian relatives.  Their costumes were ornate, colorful and lovingly tailored — it was such a privilege to thank them for their hospitality by giving them traditional materials that they could use to make more.  For me, the amazing thing about this tribe was the stark contrast of their lives to the luxurious food they ate.  They dined on lobster, squid and crabs — dishes that we pay a small fortune for in London!

The food was very simply prepared at the welcome dinner, indicating that their palettes must have been very modest. I think this episode posed more of a challenge for the chefs as to how to impress the locals. It was clear that the native judges in all locations preferred to vote for food that reminded them of home, rather than going for something unusual. Michael often wanted to incorporate his Greek style into his dishes, so I was really keen to see what he would do with the calamari he caught.  I think Madison was clever not to over indulge on the cooking of the lobster. Its natural simple flavors, if cooked to perfection, would have been impressive enough!

Kayne’s lateral thinking during the Native Challenge was both unexpected and brilliant, although, in this episode he would have been happy hunting any protein, since they all came from the surrounding waters.  This competition required the chefs to maintain the innocence of their main ingredients, and having tasted all three dishes, I think they all hit the mark!

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I felt fantastically privileged to finally understand Cajun cuisine firsthand.  Supermarkets back home have always stocked rows and rows of sauces, mixed spices and pre-marinated bbq meats (particularly chicken) that have all been prepared using Cajun influences, developed over generations.  Yet the Cajun culture was probably the most advanced of all the indigenous people we had met.  The welcome dinner was held in a very cosy venue, with warm lighting and television – luxuries we often had to do without whilst filming in the other remote locations of previous episodes.  The funniest part of the shoot occurred on the night of the Superbowl. Being from England, I didn’t fully understand how important this event was to Americans. Crew members kept taking sneaky peaks of the game, which was on in the background.

Out of all the proteins hunted on this series, the turtle was the hardest thing to swallow.  I had made a pact with myself that I would not try it, because I felt uneasy about hunting such a gentle-natured, prehistoric looking animal.  However, after Michael had prepared his turtle meal, I felt I had to eat some in its honour.  Turtles are an important source of protein for the Cajuns, just as beef and chicken are in the UK.  On a lighter note, it was funny watching Kayne peeling his mountain of Crawfish, he had had a number of dishes in mind to cook for the challenge, but didn’t realise how time-consuming shelling them would be.  Ironically, our episode wrap dinner that night was a crawfish party, so again, Kayne spent the evening shelling yet more of them. At least he had the pleasure of consuming them himself this time, and boy were they delicious.

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The most challenging part of this trip for me was the jet lag.  By this stage we had flown around the world and back, shooting other episodes and I had suffered surprisingly little jet lag so far, but in Louisiana, it had finally caught up with me.  I felt extreme lethargy, almost to the point of feeling nauseous – I wonder whether its obvious on camera!?  Nevertheless, the highlight of the episode was seeing an alligator up close and personal, basking in the sun on a fallen log!  There had been so many false alarms (because fallen logs often look very much like alligator backs) while travelling along the swamps of the Bayou, so when I finally saw one, I snapped away, with my camera, that is!

I felt dwarfed and almost intimidated amongst the Hawaiian physical build, as the people we met were generally broad, stocky and strong, but the warm infectious and seemingly permanent smiles of the women soon dispelled any initial sense of caution.  They all had gentle relaxed natures and seemed welcoming, just like their traditional music.  Again, this was a culture very influenced by the sea – the head of the community took particular pride in his seafaring achievements and abilities, which were highly impressive.

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The chefs arrival by helicopter was one of the most thrilling moments of filming this episode.  As the chefs hovered towards the ‘make-do’ helipad (i.e. a patch of grass on a cliff edge), three wild horses wandered in!  The horses were so shocked by the chopper that they gallivanted off in a panic.  The crew and I, on the ground, stood amongst all this commotion not quite sure what to do.  The helicopter carrying the chefs had to take a sharp u-turn up into the skies again.

We were shooting this episode during whaling season, from the dramatic coastal sheer drops we were able to see schools of whales gathering out at sea, it was magnificent and humbling.

Michael got to do what he does best, which was hunt a large animal.  It was heart-warming to hear his childhood stories of goats he had hunted with his father.  The pig he captured and prepared was cooked to perfection in the end, although the process was really challenging for him because of an ambitious number of dishes, lack of time and preparing the pork in a ground oven.  He rightfully deserved to win.

Kayne had a magical experience of spearfishing with his amazing guide, whose skills and talent for spearfishing were an true inspiration to us all.  Madison also connected with his guide.  The hunt seemed very spiritual for all three chefs, so before the cooking competition kicked off, they all returned to me completely ‘Zen’d out – it was beautiful to observe this in them – clearly this represented a divine place for us all.

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For me, this shoot location was symbolic. Fiji was the furthest distance I had ever traveled from my birth place in London. For someone as passionate about traveling as I am, this was seriously cool!

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The white sandy beaches and crystal clear waters were the most stunning I have ever seen.  Sea beds were often clearly visible for meters down. On our rest day, a small group of us, including Chef Kayne went fishing.  The plan was to catch something that Kayne happily offered to cook up for us. Obviously, we were all salivating at the prospect of this!  We had a couple of near catches. One fish was so big that as we tried to reel it in, it bent the fish hook and got away.  We’re pretty sure it was a Yellowfin Tuna!  Needless to say, despite all our efforts, we ended up going for restaurant sushi back on land!

The fish that was successfully caught by the chefs and the Fijians were turned into a traditional dish that I absolutely fell in love with.  This simple yet divine dish is called Kokonda. I will definitely try to recreate it when back at home, either using their preferred fish, Mahi Mahi or any other similar white fish. The recipe is so ridiculously straightforward–even I could manage it.  Marinate the white fish in lime juice for 20 minutes – the acid of the lime actually changes its molecular consistency; it cooks it.  The lime-marinated fish is then transferred to a mixture of coconut milk, chopped up mango, tomatoes and onions and some of my favourite fresh herbs.  So healthy and delicious!

Cooking goat to perfection in a traditional ground oven called a Lovo was amazingly impressive on Madison’s part.  The meat was gorgeously tender juicy and buttery.  With goat being such a delicacy, Madison was a clear winner on this episode – and well-deserved I might add.  Madison’s passion and pleasure in hunting and cooking such a regal protein was very evident throughout the cooking competition. He was on top form that day!  Again, the rain come down at the end of the day, causing some of the crew vehicles to get stuck in the mud on location (deja-vu). Nevertheless we escaped unscathed and the abundance of frogs residing at our hotel were happily croaking away in the wet weather, perhaps they were just relieved that they escaped the chefs hunt for proteins… this time!

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Thai food in general is absolutely delicious. The crew and I ate like kings for literally $1/per meal!  I threw all my dietary disciplines out the window, in favour of pork buns, steamed dumplings and Phad Thai – deeeelish.  Interestingly, based on the food sampled at the welcome dinner, the dishes the chefs cooked were very different to the traditional green and red curries that we tend to stereotype as Thai cuisine.

I wasn’t too keen on the snakes and bats because they were prepared in a very traditional way, i.e. their bones were crushed up along with their meat — this was rather unusual to swallow.  Madison was very brave about his bat bite, for which he received a rabies shot.  Michael struggled to grind the snake meat through his grinder because of the ‘sinewy’ texture of this protein combined with its bones.  Kayne had me in stitches describing how he mastered the technique of catching his meat during his candid adventures of frog hunting.  It was impressive to see all three of them make such substantial dishes from such tiny and typically ‘unmeaty’ creatures – none of which were particularly appetizing to me at first sight, although the chefs creations were tasty.

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The native challenge really threw us into the thick of the The Palong Hill Tribe way of life.  Clean water is so essential to our daily existence, but in the West, we never really think too much about how water gets to us.  The Palong had to collect their water everyday from a nearby stream and carry heavy buckets of it back home using traditional Hop Nams – a process which must have been a pain in the neck, or back even – quite literally!  It was so inspiring to see them making good use of bamboo, in so many different forms.  Whether it was for shelter, transportation or even consumption.  Bamboo has always been a fundamental part of their lives.  This reminded me of my parents own heritage, particularly my mothers, back in Malaysia.  Shooting the opening to the show whilst floating down the Ping River on a bamboo raft, was an epic moment for me.

Welcome Dinner platters.

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By being in New Zealand, I began to understand Chef Kayne more. Kayne’s passion for the sea is very true to his Polynesian roots, which consists of master boat builders and navigators.

Filming the opening of the show was a major highlight for me. A small crew of us took a helicopter to the top of Mount Terwera, a dormant volcano on the North Island. It was exhilarating! We had cameras strapped to the front of the chopper to capture footage of our flight.  The pilot took the opportunity to do a few dramatic tricks to reveal the breathtaking landscape of mirror-like lakes, reflecting steep fjords and deep-green forest covered mountains.

Lake Tarawera, New Zealand.

The most challenging aspect of this episode was the rain. Once the dark clouds rolled in, it was cold and visibility was poor. I was amazed that the chefs were able to cook under such adverse conditions. Wrapping up at the end of that shoot day was almost comical. The location grounds had become one big mud-pool, so our vehicles inevitably got stuck and had to be towed out. Nevertheless, we escaped this challenge exhausted but unscathed.

Surprisingly, the Maori cuisine was not as I expected. All their dishes had very bitter and sour flavour profiles, even their desserts tasted very savory. Michael seemed quite perplexed after the welcome dinner. The food tasted bland to him, because there were no suggestions of herbs and spices usage, which is very different from Greek cuisine. The Pikopiko fern featured heavily in the Maori dishes, both in flavour and decoration. In fact, the shape of this fern is incorporated into their artwork, as seen in their body tattoos and carvings.

Kayne prepares his protein.

Of course, Kayne was in his absolute element cooking wild pig for his native people. He used traditional cooking methods, such as the Hangi (ground oven).  It was certainly impressive how he could cook the pork to such perfection without accurate temperature gauges or timers.  The torrential weather made the cooking stakes interesting, especially when Madison gashed his head open at his cooking station. Nevertheless, it was an emotional moment for us all when the winner was announced.

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Clouds get trapped by the mountain peaks on this volcanic undulating land mass, which causes record rainfall levels. The upside of all this rain is an abundance of luscious green vegetation against a sumptuous backdrop of bright iron-rich red rock. Luckily, I had the pleasure and thrill of abseiling (rappelling) down the red cliff before the chefs made their own dramatic entrances to this episode of the show.

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The elders of the village, particularly Manu, carried an air of dignity, and the children were full of energy and enthusiasm for the “No Kitchen Required” circus that had arrived in their village.  It was a touching end to our visit, when one of the children presented me with a leather-braided bracelet she had made.  Its sure to draw interest from trendy Londoners back home.

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During the Native Challenge, our daredevil chefs got my heart-rate racing as they ran up and down steep ravines, hunting for yams. Just like the locals, the chefs were barefoot on cold damp soil and Madison kept tripping up on the plant roots, tumbling dramatically downhill, with his machete still in hand. I was surprised and relieved that all three finished that challenge unscathed.

During the rainy cooking challenge, Kayne, in particular, was able to most closely mimic the real flavour and tastes of Kalinago cuisine, proving that people tend to prefer familiarity.

Once we wrapped and were back at base, I enjoyed one of the most mind-blowing cheesecakes I have ever had in my life! A local cook on the island made it, and she used fresh locally grown limes to flavour the cheese. The texture of the crust was made to crisp and crunchy perfection. This lime cheesecake was so exceptional that the chefs and I asked to finish it off the following evening. You know a dish must be good if they are impressed!

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