A FAMILIAR face in the film and television scene, Razif Hashim took his passion for food and started something extraordinary.
“After having done quite a few seasons of my food show Best In The World with 8TV, and multiple other shows with different channels, I wanted to continue pursuing my love for anything related to food, travel and education,” said Razif.
“I felt the need to create new types of shows that would get me excited. Something out of my comfort zone that gives me the motivation to wake up and work on something every day.
“Hence I started Wayang Kitchen (@WayangKitchen on Instagram), which is focused on developing Interactive Gastronomic Experiences. I wanted to do things live, get back to what I love, like the theatre, and sharing our country’s rich flavours and traditions with the world.
“I wanted to create an environment where people could interact with food in a completely different way than they were used to.”
Last November, Razif and his team partnered with Copper by Fav to produce a two-night special called Murder at the Masquerade. It was part murder mystery and part dining experience.
“The audience was eating the clues as the case unfolded,” added Razif.
“Then we went to Langkawi in December and partnered with a restaurant called Fat Cupid, where we created a touristic contemporary cultural show.
“It was a combination of Wayang Kulit, digital media and live performance of popular stories from Malaysia’s culture and culinary heritage.
“We were on track to release two new shows in collaboration with Concubine KL and Mockingbird Bangsar with more shows and more cast members, but then the movement control order (MCO) happened, and we had to postpone our project.”
However, Wayang Kitchen is not his only project, and Razif is not letting the MCO hold him back.
“Quarantine Meals is a fun project that I started with my friend Mark Ng. He runs Simply Enak, which is a food tour company based in Penang.
“He is, in my opinion, one of the best food tour guides from Georgetown, and has a robust appreciation for all types of food. I’ve been on his tours, [I’m] not just saying this.
“So on the second day of the MCO, we were on the phone and thought we needed to do something to stay sane and have focus while we were at home.
“We decided to use our Instagram accounts to document what we cook every day, and have a casual ‘boys banter’ between two cities.
“It’s proven to be an anchor for me in this MCO, [and] keeps me productive, something to think about even when there’s nothing to do.
“It’s been over 40 days now, and we are still going strong. [Except for when] I missed one day, and Mark ordered in another day.”
You can check out what Razif and Mark have been cooking up on Instagram at @razifhashim and @simply.enak respectively.
Razif and his team are also reviving the Wayang Kitchen, not wanting to let the idea end.
To do this, he is looking to make the event an at-home experience.
“We needed to find a way to get our value proposition out there despite the current conditions we are living with today. Hence Wayang Kitchen’s Stay Home Eatertainment.
“This is derived from our simple concept of doing ‘dinner with a show’. We have always done this with our contemporary cultural shows and murder mysteries. But we are tweaking it to focus on creating content that you can interact with at home and [which] has a direct relationship with the food on your plate.
“So this pandemic forced us to pivot into ‘Food Delivery with a Show’. We have completed and launched two Stay Home Eatertainment sets already, in collaboration with Concubine KL and Pisco Bar KL. We are also starting our next exciting project very soon.
“We can’t wait to get back to doing live shows with an audience. Until then, thankfully, we still have something to work on.”
Undoubtedly, Malaysians’ relationship with food is changing, and will be different when the MCO is lifted. As people are more aware of what they eat, they also take better care to ensure its cleanliness.
“People cook at home more often as they have the time and means. The economy is uncertain, which makes certain types of food out of reach,” said Razif.
“The fact that we can’t enjoy a meal outside with a curated ambience, cooked with techniques and equipment we do not have at home, has robbed us of the dining culture experience. I am in danger of forgetting what it’s like to eat at a restaurant.”
He added that the MCO has also changed our nation’s culture. With the absence of a Bazaar Ramadan, we can’t connect with each other on that social level. We can’t even support our favourite independent business owners.
And yet, Razif is sure that it will come back to us, even if it takes some time.
