He’s hit it big as a third-generation restaurateur. As a JUNO Award-winning recording artist, he’s shared the stage with the likes of James Brown and the Roots. He can currently be seen co-hosting the spice-centric Food Network series Heat Seekers with fellow food-master Aaron Sanchez. And yes, he – the ever-ambitious Roger Mooking – was also cool enough to take some time and give Cadence a shout.
Both a graduate of George Brown’s Culinary Management program and musician with much experience as a member of the ’90s soul trio Bass Is Base, the man’s developed quite the reputation for himself in both the food and music worlds – worlds which he sees as one and the same, both being integral parts of the entertainment business and all.
It also goes without saying that – with such a colourful and adventurous career to look back on – Mooking’s gained a lot of insight into what it means to dedicate oneself to one’s passions, and how important it is to do so in life.
How did the idea for Heat Seekers come about? Was collaborating with Aaron something you wanted to do for a long time?
Well you know, what happened is – I’ve been on the Cooking Channel in America for the last year, and it’s the same people who own the Food Network in America and some other food network as well, right? We have a really good relationship and they wanted me to continue to do more programs for them, so they came up with this idea of putting me and Aaron together and banging out the hot and spice food thing. They put us together – we had a lodge – and we got along together really well, and we just kind of took it from there. We shot a pilot live on the Cooking Channel; it really took off there – they stole it actually and moved it over to the Food Network side in America, and now Food Network Canada is broadcasting it.
How did you grow and learn as a chef and a person from collaborating with Aaron?
Well it’s interesting. This isn’t a dump-and-stir instructional show; it’s a travel show where we go around seeking odd spicy foods. In terms of learning, it’s not like we’re cooking together and learning that way. But all these restaurants have these different techniques and different ways of doing things, so I kind of learn from each restaurant that we go in and see how they’re doing things. And we kinda take it from there. It’s great because it allows me to kind of sit back and observe what other people are doing as well. We touch down at, like, all different types of restaurants: Hispanic, Mexican, Chinese, Vietnamese, Japanese. We touch on so many different cultures, man; it’s really exhilarating.
Absolutely, and on that – touching on the traveling and all that – what have been some of your favourite experiences?
You know, it’s really cool because normally when we’re filming these shows, it’s like we’re in and out of a city and onto the next thing. But with this show – because we’re doing so many locations in each city – I really get the opportunity to hunker down. We spend, like, four, five days in every city, and we kind of build a little network of people and friends, and you know, a community there, and end up kinda being able to just touch down and get a real feeling and a sense of all of these cities intrinsically; so that’s been really refreshing. One thing I’ve discovered about America is it’s very regional in that all the different sections and parts of America are very, very specific when it comes to their food lore; you know what I mean? In Santa Fe, they do this; in San Francisco, it’s like this. It’s very segregated like that, in one way, but without trying to be derogatory, you know?
Yeah, like you were saying, they’re different cultures. My brother went down to New Orleans and he was saying he experienced a culture shock going from Toronto to down south – a totally different culinary world.
Totally different, New Orleans is a great example because . . . New Orleans is a very particular bubble. It’s a very unique place, and it’s very specific when it comes to what their food is about and what the feel of the city is about, you know?
Very true. On that, different cultures and different foods, to what extent has being able to go to these places and try these new things inspired you as someone who makes recipes?
Well, it’s been amazing, man, because it always ends up being so much output, always creating all these recipes from different cultures. So now I’m able to kind of kick back and take in what other people are doing. It’s been really, really refreshing, and it’s kind of loaded up the vault, you know?
Oh yeah, for sure. Aside from working as a chef and loading up the vault and all that, you’ve also been making a career for yourself as a recording artist. In the ’90s, you were in Bass Is Base, and a few years back you released Soul Food. So was it challenging to go from exploring food to going back to music and mining out that passion?
Well you know, that’s a great question, man, but I’ve always done that. When I was coming up in music, before Bass Is Base, I used to always work in restaurants and I’d take all my money and go to the recording studio. I was always living this dual-life in many ways, jumping back and forth. And when I started doing a lot of the restaurants and then the shows started coming, I continued to do that and I never really stopped. People wouldn’t see necessarily the Bass Is Base kind of stuff, but I’d be doing films or . . . a whole bunch of different things. Or doing little side music projects, independent projects, like something music[al] overseas that people in Canada don’t see; so I always continued to do that. It was never really a big leap for me to put out Soul Food and do the shows and stuff, because I always was doing it, you know?
You’ve been keeping it in balance. Was it tough to find that balance and maintain it, now that you have so much on the go?
It was very tough. For a long time I thought I was maybe schizophrenic, kind of jumping back and forth between these different worlds. And then one day I had an epiphany and I realized, instead of thinking it was two different things, it’s one thing; it’s entertainment. Whether you were coming to my restaurant at that time or whether you’re watching me on TV with a cooking situation, or if you’re listening to my album or watching me perform with my band – they all fall very clearly under the umbrella of entertainment. Once I really changed my frame of reference, that’s when everything really started to take off and I could feel like one holistic being again, you know? [Laughs.]
For sure, I was checking your website and you say something really interesting, sort of a personal philosophy of yours I noticed – the whole idea of music feeding your soul and food feeding your body.
Absolutely, and funnily enough, the food side of it also feeds the soul; you know what I mean? You hit it on the head, man, one feeds the body, the other feeds the soul, and it becomes one kinda holistic life, you know?
Yeah, it’s intertwined. Back to your recording now, with Soul Food, you got to work again with Bass Is Base and record with Ron Lopata. So how did you find the experience of collaborating with them? How did you grow as a musician?
You know, I’ve been working with Ron for many, many years now on a bunch of different projects – projects that he’s done, projects that we’ve done together, projects that I’ve been doing. So we’ve been very, very comfortable collaborators for quite some time. With Chin – me and Chin are like brothers – from the first note we ever struck together, it worked, and it was just a magic thing. So the moment we got back in and started banging on stuff, that never changed really. And I don’t think that would ever change. With Ivana – she played piano for a song that I’d written. I wanted a really virtuoso piano player to come in and play the part, really grandiose. She did a really great, great performance on the piano. It was great to bring back in some of my past and some of my future and some of my not-so-distant present, and tie everybody together and still make one unified album. Everybody has their own feeling, their own vibe, and their own spirit when it comes to music; and those three people definitely – and Byron Wong was a big part of that record – and everybody has their own vibe to it. I’ve worked with Byron for a long time as well, for many different vessels, and it’s like everybody brings their own thing. But I was the common denominator and that’s what kind of unified the whole project, right?
Turning to your charity work now, you’re involved with World Vision’s Cooking Up Justice program, and recently (this past February), you were able to go to Cambodia and learn about their food scarcity and nutrition situation. So how did that experience open your eyes as a chef and a person?
Well I tell you, I’ve seen a lot of these World Vision ads on television – sometimes with a very focused interest, sometimes with a passing interest. But going to Cambodia and actually seeing the situations – touching ground and watching a family feeding their kids dinner on an old bed frame; there’s a pig walking right by their kitchen; and that’s also their bedroom. And looking into their eyes and understanding what the needs of their lives are, and how challenging that is – it’s a very different thing from watching that in a very easy, passable fashion on my couch, with the remote control in my hand and a burger in the other. It definitely transformed my perception of that whole situation – just to be on the ground and see that and see what that’s like, and [to] see what a great impact a little bit of resources, time, energy, and good will can do to impact many people’s lives, families, and children – man, it was powerful. It was one of those life-changing moments; something I hold onto every day and make sure I never forget, and try and teach my own kids, right?
In light of that – stuff that you’ve learned – what words of wisdom can you give to aspiring cooking and music talents?
You know, both of those things – I always say it’s not worth it unless you love it. If you don’t love cooking, love the craft, don’t ever go work in a restaurant because it’s not worth it [laughs]. All the work that it takes to operate something like that? It’s just not worth it if you don’t feel like it’s your life – you know what I mean? – just to be a part of that world. Music, you know, the music industry is a notoriously brutal industry to artists, so unless you love the craft, love crafting songs and writing, building that community of artists, and being a part of that whole world – unless you really, really love it, it’s not gonna be what you imagined. It’s not standing on stage at the Grammy’s; that’s like three and a half minutes of 20 years of really brutal struggles. I always say find what you’re really passionate about and just do it. People will start to recognize that you’re good at it and passionate about it and that you’re invested in it. It starts to take off from there. Just love what you do and do it to the fullest every single day. That’s all I can say. It sounds really cliché, but it’s true and it seems to work for me, you know?
Make sure to check out the Food Network’s official Heat Seekers page for all the latest show and episode info.
