News
Roger Mooking, Host of ‘Man, Fire, Food’
Roger Mooking, host of “Man Fire Food,”
visited Portland recently to film a show for
his popular Cooking Channel series, “Man
RM: One most definitely is standing up
on a chair at the counter and learning how to
make wontons with my father. I was very
Fire Food.” The episode, which features
Jason French of Ned Ludd restaurant on
N.E. Martin Luther King Boulevard in Port-
land, will air Dec. 11 and 30. A third-gener-
ation chef and restaurateur, Mooking’s
cuisine draws from a rich mix of global
food traditions. Mooking is also a musician
and the author of the cookbook, Everyday
Exotic. The Skanner News spoke to Mook-
ing on the phone Tuesday, Nov. 20.
TSN: Is it true that you are the third gen-
eration in your family to be a chef and
restaurateur?
RM: Yes, it’s true. My grandfather came
from China and ended up in Trinidad, in the
Caribbean. There, after many years, he
eventually opened a bakery and restaurant.
Then he moved his restaurant to Los Ange-
les. My father ran that restaurant for many
years, and my aunts and uncles still own
and operate restaurants and catering compa-
nies. So it’s in the blood. I come by it hon-
estly.
TSN: Did you ever think about doing any-
thing else?
RM: Yes, for sure. When I was three
years old I knew I wanted to be a chef, but
when I was around 15 I started dabbling in
music and that really took off. So I’ve done
music professionally since I was about 15 or
16 as well. I continue in both of those
endeavors.
TSN: What is your first food memory?
young, probably 3 or 4. I was always inter-
ested in the kitchen, and any opportunity I
could to climb up in the kitchen and see
what people are doing, or if my grandmoth-
er was cooking to check up on what she was
up too. I was always there you know.
TSN: You are Canadian now though?
RM: I was born in Trinidad and when I
was 5 my family moved to Canada. I do
have a lot of memories of Trinidad, strange-
ly, but also I have been back many times
since. All my aunts and uncles still live in
Trinidad and a lot of friends, so I keep con-
tact –especially now with social media.
TSN: Tell us about your family’s food tra-
ditions, because you have this wonderful
rich mix of cultural influences?
RM: Defnitely! Well, my grandfather,
like I said, was Chinese fare and he used to
cook traditional Chinese fare for my father
growing up. So a lot of these recipes have
passed down to our household. But you
know we were born and raised in Trinidad
and that has a very interesting mix of tradi-
tions also. There is a large African popula-
tion, a large Carib Indian population – the
indigenous population; there is a large Chi-
nese population, and a large East Indian
population. So all of those food traditions
are an integral part of what makes up
Trinidadian cuisine. We learned a lot from
Trinidad alone, but my grandfather being
from China, there was a heavy influence
from that. And then our family moved to
Edmonton, Alberta, which has a large
Ukrainian and Polish population. So my
mother had made friends with an elderly
Ukrainian baba, and when I walked in after
school, they would be making pirogues and
cabbage rolls, and kielbasa and all of this
stuff. All of those come together.
TSN: What is your signature as a chef?
RM: I like to take comfort foods, whether
they are Asian comfort foods or North
American comfort foods, and give them a
little bit of a twist. So I might take some-
thing like macaroni and cheese and give it a
twist with some curry and asparagus. Or if
it’s a burger, I’m going to make a lamb
burger with five-spice powder. Those are
Canada do you?
RM: We had our Thanksgiving last
month, and it’s very similar food. We have
the usual sweet potatoes turkey and stuff-
ing, cranberries and so on. This year my
family did a potluck and strangely nobody
brought a cranberry dish and nobody
brought ham. But we had a couple of
turkeys.
TSN: Can you give us one tip for any
cook hosting a big celebration?
RM: Make a list. Make a plan and make
sure you have some dishes prepared ahead
of time so you can just reheat them and keep
them warm. Those last few minutes can be
busy, but if you have prepared in advance
you can keep it really simple.
the kinds of things you’ll see on my other
show, “Everyday Exotic”. I do a lot of
recipes for many different publications, and
I think people come to me for a little bit of
flair, a little bit of spice, a little bit of heat
and just a little bit of an interesting, inven-
tive twist on regular foods.
TSN: Where do you live now and do you
cook at home?
RM: I live in Toronto now, and I travel
quite a bit with my work, but when I am
home I am the designated cook.
TSN: We are all thinking about Thanks-
giving this week, but you don’t have that in
TSN: Your new show Man Fire Food is all
about barbecue. So what’s the biggest thing
you have ever barbecued?
RM: The biggest is I would have to say
would be a whole cow. We went to an event
called Bovinova in South Carolina. This is
an annual fundraiser and these are entrepre-
neurs and business men who do this event
for charity. So they built this contraption
with pulleys and 7,000 lbs of steel. It’s quite
a contraption; you have to see it. So they
Read the rest online at
www.theskanner.com
Take the Holidays to Check on Vulnerable Elders
The Department of Human Services wants to remind Ore-
gonians to be aware of the signs of self-neglect and/or vul-
nerable adult abuse. With family members coming to town
visiting their friends, neighbors and loved ones this season,
it is important to
take the time to
check in on the
vulnerable and
isolated people
you may know to
be sure they are
taking care of
themselves and
are safe.
Self-neglect
can be defined as
the inability of a
person
(more
often than not
due to worsening
dementia) to pro-
vide themselves
with the necessi-
ties of daily liv-
ing. According to DHS officials, Adult Protective Services
received over 2100 inquiries in 2011 relating to concerns
about self-neglect.
Indicators of self-neglect can be a lack of food and water,
poor hygiene, dressing improperly, not taking critical med-
Page 6 The Seattle Skanner November 21, 2012
ications and ignoring health problems. The person’s lack of
understanding of their predicament leads to harm or endan-
germent.
Self-neglect does not include individuals who are capable
of making informed
decisions or have dif-
ferent lifestyles where
their standards for per-
sonal care or house-
keeping are not that of
their community.
“Self-neglect and
elder abuse is under-
reported
mostly
because people do not
know how to recog-
nize the signs or indi-
cators,” said Marie
Cervantes, director of
the DHS Office of
Adult Abuse Preven-
tion and Investiga-
tions. “We want to
raise awareness of
self-neglect and ways to report it so that we may prevent it.
Checking in on your loved ones, as well as vulnerable
neighbors and friends this holiday season is a way to make
sure they are healthy and safe,” she said.
Last year, DHS Adult Protective Services received over
28,000 referrals of vulnerable adult abuse. The most preva-
lent allegations were self-neglect, financial exploitation,
and neglect of care. DHS Office of Adult Abuse Prevention
and Investigations specialists work to resolve the immedi-
ate crisis, reduce risk and help to establish long-term stabil-
ity.
For information on vulnerable abuse and what to look for
go to www.oregon.gov/DHS. If you believe abuse or neg-
lect may be occurring contact the Department of Human
Services office in your area or your local law enforcement.
If you are unsure who to contact call 1-800-232-3020
(DHS).
CASE MANAGER 2
Human Services is seeking a Case Manager 2 to work
with the Developmental Disabilities Services Division.
This position provides services to children ages 0-15 and
high school transition age group 16-18. For additional
information about this position or to apply, please see
recruitment #6297-41 at www.multcojobs.org. Only
the first 100 applications will be accepted, so please
apply without delay. Salary range $44,307-$54,518
GAMBLING TOO MUCH?
Free, confidential help is available statewide. Call 1-877-
MY-LIMIT to talk to a certified counselor 24/7 or visit
1877mylimit.org to chat live with a counselor. We are not
here to judge. We are here to help. You can get your life
back.