Celebrity Chef Jet Tila Sizzles with Stories, Spicy Food at AU
Celebrity chef Jet Tila makes a sweet soy sauce聽at a cooking demonstration at AU on March 30. (Jeffrey Watts/麻豆果冻传媒)
By Jonathan Heeter
Cold weather forced celebrity chef Jet Tila indoors Thursday afternoon. But the Food Network star, set for an event on the quad, brought the heat to Mary Graydon Center, whipping up spicy drunken noodles in front of a crowd of more than 100 during a cooking demonstration.聽
Tila鈥檚 two-day visit kicked off with an invitation-only reception for alumni, faculty, and student leaders on Wednesday night at WCL. After the demonstration on Thursday, students enjoyed another taste of Tila鈥檚 flavor profile with curated menus at MGC鈥檚 Paper Lantern and the Terrace Dining Room.聽
Five percent of sales went toward the AU Market聽and the SIS Graduate Food Insecurity Program.聽AU Dining and its partner, Chartwells, also matched the 2,127 student food swipes with donations to Eagles Helping Eagles, a program that provides meal swipes to students in need.
鈥淸For] someone so involved in the art of food, it鈥檚 great [Tila] combines the platform of being involved in food聽and issues involving everyday people and how they eat,鈥 said Jelinda Montes, SPA/BA 鈥24.聽
The issue hits close to home for Tila. A child of immigrants in Los Angeles, he sometimes didn鈥檛 have enough to eat, even while his family ran restaurants. He recalled picking up cans of peanut butter and boxes of powdered milk, provided through government assistance.聽
Chef Jet Tila prepares Thai drunken noodles at a cooking demonstration at AU on March 30. (Jeffrey Watts/麻豆果冻传媒)
鈥淭hat鈥檚 the real irony of working with food but being in constant need,鈥 said Tila, who has appeared on Food Network shows like Beat Bobby Flay, Chopped, Iron Chef America, Cutthroat Kitchen, and Tournament of Champions, the finale of which airs on April 9. 鈥淲ithout the help, we would鈥檝e had a lot of hungry nights. I lived this; there aren鈥檛 many topics more important.鈥澛
The event came together because of a long-standing relationship between Tila鈥檚 former employer Bon Appetit Management and its parent company, Compass USA, which includes Chartwells. Another of Tila鈥檚 collaborators, Schwan鈥檚 Company, provided some ingredients for the demonstration. 聽
While Tila prepared drunken noodles鈥攁 spicy Thai stir-fry鈥攈e showcased the charm and relatability required of a television chef. He chatted with the crowd, sharing stories and advice from the kitchen (add molasses to soy for a touch of sweetness), and asked them to make two promises: Never use olive oil when cooking Asian food (a neutral oil, like vegetable, is best) and travel the world and try everything. After the 30-minute demonstration, Tila spent more than an hour posing for pictures, answering questions, and signing autographs.聽
Paper Lantern鈥檚 special menu included Mongolian beef, teriyaki chicken, and Thai basil tofu. The fresh dining experience continued in TDR at night with student lines wrapping around the dining tables. Stations included a Tila-inspired hot dog with kimchi, pickled radish, wasabi, spicy mayo, and nori; Penang beef curry, kimchi fried rice, and dumplings; and a tofu veggie curry.聽
鈥淲e were thrilled to welcome Chef Tila to campus, where he could share his life story and his passion for cooking with our students and broader AU community,鈥 said Bront茅 Burleigh-Jones, Kogod/BSBA 鈥91, MBA 鈥93, AU CFO and treasurer. 鈥淗is active engagement and willingness to share his culinary expertise across the two days brought our community together and built a connection through a shared love of food."聽