Behind the Scenes ~ Filming with One of the Worlds Best Chefs: Tetsuya Wakuda

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Lights, cameras, Wagyu steaks!

For those of you who ever wondered what happens behind the scenes on a foodie film set, here’s a wee insight into the making of Food TV with Masterchef ~ Tetsuya Wakuda.

Tetsuya Wakuda

When asked to host a series of cooking videos with master chef Tetsuya Wakuda, how could an Internet Chef girl say No? Tetsuya has been one of my food heroes for many years and the opportunity to cook and present his food to a televison audience was an incredible honor. I’m not sure which part excited me more, the thought of hanging out with Tets or eating his food? Yup, you know it… Food wins everytime!

The  production for this full day of filming began more than 6 weeks prior to the actual shoot day with scripts going back and forth between me and the executive producer  Tony Whittaker. The shoot was scheduled to take place in  a purpose built set in Western Sydney, some 90 minutes drive from Sydney’s CBD and in a quiet, out of the way industrial lot complete with concrete bunker style warehouses.

Wardrobe fitting took place a week before the shoot and I had the terribly delightful   task   of trying on many beautiful designer outfits before a couple of dresses were decided upon as well as neck breaking stilletos and ever so dangly jewelery. This was to be a relaxing shoot for me as normally I organize the food and cook, chop and chat for the camera, whereas this time I was only expected to host and present alongside Tetsuya who was in charge of dishing out the culinary masterpieces . This meant that hair, makeup and wardrobe were all the ‘frills and spills’ of being a girl, a luxury not often afforded to female chefs.

Filming with Tetsuya

Onsite on shoot day  is a bustling busy environment that kicks off at sunrise. Cameraman, sound recorder, gaffer and lighting, set designer and site manager, director, producer and location caterer were all on board getting ready by the time I arrived at 7am for wardrobe and makeup, along with agents, management and a few family and friends that had shown up to get a glimpse of the master.  A barrel of coffee was ordered as today was going to be a long day as we were scheduled  to get through 4 separate cooking videos.

Feeling rather pampered, I was dressed by talented stylist Jade Monteverdi before Laura Kennard worked her makeup magic on me. Whislt standing in the laundry room being primped and crimped, I heard the familiar soft gentle voice of Tetsuya as he and his team turned up to prepare for the first of our filming stints which were due to kick off in an hour.

Tetsuya brought with him his driver and personal friend, as well as  chefs  assistant Kevin, who was in charge of chopping, cleaning and setting up for each new video. Kevin kept himself busy most of the day in the small kitchenette of the warehouse where he had use of only a small bench the size of a stove top and a small sink for washing up whilst Tets driver kept himself occupied in other creative ways. Tetsuya also ‘prepped’ between shoots ,enthralling his devoted audience with knife skills and humor.

Filming these types of videos brings mixed emotions as you are standing in front of glaring lights and camera lenses while a contingent of people look on. It’s a mixture of nerves and excitement as you need to hit your mark and deliver your lines with gusto and feeling… and all while one of the best chefs in the world looks on. No pressure!

The set was beautiful and looked like a home kitchen where Tetsuya was generously showing you cooking techniques and tips on how to cook some of his most celebrated recipes including   how to cook to perfection a 3 inch Wagyu steak, chicken tagine with black olives and couscous, Tetsuya style scrambled eggs with ricotta and sweetcorn,  and a visually stunning and palette refreshing  kingfish salad.

“Quiet on the set” “Mark” and ….”Action” were called multiple times as we waited for noise in the warehouse to subside, or a passing plane to move out of ear shot. Tetsuya in his humble and shy manner spoke passionately about what he was doing while delivering dish after dish of his gorgeous signature food that has gained him recognition all over the world.  One of the most popular dishes of the day was when Tets brought out a huge wagyu steak , which he cooked ever so slowly for an hour to its most tenderest perfection. Hungry looks from the crew meant no one missed out on sampling these delicious creations.

Thank you Tetsuya.

After a full and exhilarating 10 hours on set, the director called “that’s a wrap” and we happily marched home better for the knowledge and experience that was just shared on set.  Tetsyua Wakuda is wonderful to work with and the fact that he comes complete with lunch is a foodies day in paradise! To watch the videos just filmed, keep an eye out for their online release via this website where the videos will be posted  free to air in their entirety . Thank you Tetsuya!