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a person by others or by circumstances in life – only those with the passion to make delicious food will persist with the journey. Using herself as an example, Chef Cheong describes how she would try to figure out how to produce the exact same taste every time she tasted a delicious new dish. She adds that it was through such repeated endeavours that she was able to improve her cooking skills. Chef Cheong believes that good cooking skills should be passed on to the future generations, so that more people can learn about and taste delicious food. She became a cooking instructor to do just that. However, her 40-year culinary journey has not always been smooth-sailing. Many chefs were reluctant to share their recipes initially as they believed that her cooking classes would affect their businesses. It was a tough period as she would often receive harassing calls from industry peers, with some even threatening the lives of both her daughter and herself if she did not stop her cooking classes. As a single mother, she had to keep going to earn her livelihood and pay for her daughter's studies, but she felt very nervous every time she leaves her house. Fortunately, she was interviewed by a newspaper then and she used the opportunity to talk about the threats that she had been receiving. Many chefs rallied around her after reading her story, denouncing their peers’ behaviour and helping to bring the matter to an end. Chef Cheong’s culinary academy was in operation from 2000 to 2008, during which she trained many outstanding students who have since gone on to become well-known chefs both in Malaysia and abroad. Striving Continuously for Greater Heights Despite her achievements, Chef Cheong is not one to rest on her laurels. She recalls that she was often invited to give cooking demonstrations when she was about 30, but feeling that she had more to learn as a cooking instructor, she decided to study abroad to further improve her cooking skills. She was determined to set a good example for her students and went onto study cooking in various places, like Taiwan, Japan, Hong Kong, and Thailand. Her professionalism has made Chef Cheong a key figure in the Malaysian culinary world for so many years. Her humble attitude has gained her the adoration and support of her peers and fans alike. Chef Cheong shares that the secret of cooking delicious dishes is patience and passion. “Cook with care and love, and you can cook delicious dishes." To Chef Cheong, the greatest achievement in her culinary career is being able to spread happiness to everyone through her food and recipes. (Translated by Shawn Pang) 说起马来西亚海滨出版社的食谱作 家，肯定会提及资深名厨张莉 婵老师。她拥有超过40年的丰富烹饪经 验，所撰食谱除了曾荣获“美食家世界 食谱大奖”外，其专业的烹饪技巧也获 得食品制造商及厨具供应商的认同，相 继邀约她担任食品或商品代言人，协助 开拓海内外市场。 2000年，在大众书局的邀请下，张莉 婵老师推出食谱《马来西亚风味菜》。 为了撰写此书，她与助理环游了整个马 来西亚的乡村，找寻各大乡村里最传统 独特的美食。“乡村烹煮的食物步骤都 非常复杂，所以需要时间研究如何在简 化的当儿保留食物的美味。” 以此结缘，之后张老师与大众展开 了长达20年的合作，相继与大众和海滨 合作出版超过40本食谱，成为海滨常驻 畅销作者之一。 漫漫40烹饪路 当提及为何会成为厨师时，厨艺精湛的 张老师表示，那是因为她的家族成员大 多都从事和餐饮相关的行业，自小就被 44 - popularnews 140