Adam Liaw facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Adam Liaw
Liaw in 2012
Born	(1978-09-08) 8 September 1978 (age 46) Penang, Malaysia
Nationality	Australian
Education	Bachelor of Science (Pharmacology), Bachelor of Law
Alma mater	University of Adelaide, Prince Alfred College
Occupation	Cook television presenter producer author
Predecessor	Julie Goodwin
Successor	Kate Bracks
Spouse(s)	Asami Fujitsuka
Children	3
Awards	Winner, MasterChef Australia

Adam Liaw (Chinese: 廖崇明; pinyin: Liào Chóngmíng), born on September 8, 1978, is a famous Australian cook, TV host, and author. He was born in Malaysia. He won the second season of MasterChef Australia, a popular cooking competition. He beat Callum Hann in the final. Adam has created, written, and hosted many cooking shows. These include the Destination Flavour series and The Cook Up with Adam Liaw on SBS Food.

Early Life and Education

Adam Liaw was born in Penang, Malaysia. His father was Malaysian Chinese, and his mother was English, born in Singapore. Adam is the middle child, with an older brother and a younger sister.

When Adam was three, his family moved to Adelaide, Australia. After his parents divorced, his mother moved to New Zealand. Adam then lived with his grandmother. He says his grandmother greatly influenced his cooking and his life.

Adam finished high school early, at age 14. He started university at 16. He earned two degrees from the University of Adelaide by age 21. He studied Science and Law.

After university, Adam worked as a lawyer in Adelaide. He helped companies with technology, business, and international trade. In 2004, he moved to Japan. There, he worked in media law for The Walt Disney Company.

Winning MasterChef Australia

In 2009, Adam Liaw thought about trying out for MasterChef Australia. In April 2010, he was chosen as one of the top 24 contestants. He won a challenge by cooking dishes from famous chefs. Even so, he wasn't sure he had the skills to win the whole competition.

On July 22, 2010, Adam was the first person to get a spot in the grand finale. On July 25, 2010, he was announced as the winner of MasterChef Australia Season 2. He won against Callum Hann with a score of 89 to 82. His victory was watched by more people than any other non-sporting TV event in Australian history.

After winning, Adam thought about different ideas. One idea was to open an izakaya restaurant in Tokyo. He later returned to MasterChef Australia as a guest judge for Season 4 and Season 6.

Cookbooks and Writing

As the winner of MasterChef Australia Season 2, Adam got to write his own cookbook. His first book, Two Asian Kitchens, was published in April 2011. The book is divided into two parts: the Old Kitchen and the New Kitchen. In it, Adam shares recipes he grew up with and new dishes he created. The book was well-received in Australia.

Adam has written several other cookbooks. These include Asian After Work (2013), Adam's Big Pot (2014), Asian Cookery School (2015), and The Zen Kitchen (2016). He also writes for newspapers like Good Food and Sunday Life magazine. He also writes for The Guardian.

Television Shows

On March 14, 2012, it was announced that Adam Liaw would host his own travel and food TV show. The show, called Destination Flavour, started in August 2012 on the SBS network.

Adam hosted several versions of Destination Flavour. These included Destination Flavour: Japan (2013), Destination Flavour: Down Under (2014), Destination Flavour: Scandinavia (2016), Destination Flavour: Singapore (2017), and Destination Flavour: China (2018).

In March 2017, Hidden Japan with Adam Liaw began on SBS Food. In 2019, he appeared on Julia Zemiro's Home Delivery. In late 2020, Adam hosted Adam Liaw's Road Trip for Good for SBS Food.

In April 2021, Adam started hosting a nightly talk and cooking show. It is called The Cook Up with Adam Liaw and airs on SBS Food. This show was a very big project for SBS, with 200 episodes planned for the first season. On the show, Adam chats and cooks with guests. In October 2021, Adam teamed up with Poh Ling Yeow. She was a runner-up in MasterChef Australia Season 1. They presented Adam and Poh’s Malaysia in Australia, exploring their shared Malaysian background.

In 2022, Adam joined the ABC show Tomorrow Tonight.

Other Activities

Adam Liaw is a National Ambassador for Nutrition for UNICEF Australia. In 2016, the Japanese government named him a Goodwill Ambassador of Japanese Cuisine. He is also on the board of the Australia-Japan Foundation.

Adam is very active on social media. In 2015, BuzzFeed Australia wrote articles about how great his social media posts were.

In 2017, All Nippon Airways named Adam their Culinary Ambassador for Australia. He created special menus for the airline.

In May 2022, Adam launched a podcast series on Audible. It is called How Taste Changed the World and has seven parts.

Filmography