Austin native Armando Reed certainly knows his way around the kitchen. He’s been cooking up a storm since he baked cookies at the tender age of seven, and attributes his love of food and cooking to his parents – his dad’s a foodie and mom is a great cook. The 32-year-old is out to satisfy his taste buds and will travel the world for a taste of local cuisine – be it on a backpacking trip to Borneo or a flavorsome trip to Hong Kong.
With his very own cooking show, “Armando’s Asian Twist”, and now Hot Guys Who Cook, Armando’s quest is to use his culinary skills to bring about joy and happiness to the people around him:
Hi Armando! What are you currently up to?
“Currently I’m giving myself some well-deserved time off. I’ve been doing so much writing, cooking, helping with editing and everything like that..all of that was extremely time consuming. And then I had to go shoot an awesome episode Hot Guys Who Cook Season 2 in Singapore!”
So, we hear that the competition on “Hot Guys Who Cook Season 2” is pretty tough. How do you think you stand out among the rest?
“(laughs) Well, the guys on my episode were a couple of great guys but I think that audience would get a good feel of how..we’re a group of guys who are friends that just really competitive and we all just want to win. Although, in this season in particular, it’s not only about cooking so..perhaps there are other elements that weren’t my forte.”
Have you always loved cooking this much or is this something that you had to quickly pick up on prior to the show?
“I have enjoyed cooking since I was really young but it has always been from the aspect of what I like to eat. And that’s..everything. I’ll basically try everything! I’ve been doing this for..wow, I guess if seriously probably since middle school. To me, it’s cool to be able to make something from all these different ingredients and then turning that into something that’s completely different. Also, you learn to appreciate it when people enjoy something that you’ve cooked.”
Pray tell, have you ever cooked an entire meal for a loved one? Say, a date? If so, tell us a little bit more about it.
“Absolutely. Absolutely! The thing about cooking for someone is, the meal has to be tailored for that said person. So once, I did a roasted and creamed cauliflower and I sous vide a lamb chop. It makes cooking a meal super easy because it will never overcook or dry out. I really recommend it because it makes it perfect. And for dessert, I made a molten chocolate cake with a side of ice cream.”
What can Malaysia expect from what you’re just about to cook up on the show?
“You guys can expect something super quick, easy, and something everyone can do at home! Oh, and you can also expect a lot of humour and expect to see me competitive side. My very competitive side.”
Alright, we’ll take your word for it. And thank you for taking time off your, uh, time off to speak to us! Hot Guys Who Cook Season 2 premieres 3rd December (Monday) and will air every Monday after at 7pm only on DIVA Universal.
For more information, visit their official website.
