Chef and newly signed Mediacorp artiste Wu Sihan on why he wants to be in showbusiness

We've all heard of artistes who go on to make a name for themselves in F&B. Nicholas Tse, who has rebranded himself as the Michelin-recognised Chef Nic, comes to mind. On the local front, there's of course Ben Yeo, who is now the towkay of a fast-growing F&B empire. 

But what about a chef who becomes an artiste?

Enter 31-year-old Wu Sihan, who recently signed on with Mediacorp's The Celebrity Agency as an artiste.

Sihan is the head chef of his family-run bistro Supply and Demand, which has three outlets in Singapore.

The Hai Sing Catholic School alum also solely manages and oversees the operation of the restaurant's flagship outlet at the Esplanade.

We know you must be wondering, why does a chef want to be a Mediacorp artiste?

Well, when 8days.sg spoke to Wu over the phone last week, he revealed his interest in showbiz started after he participated in variety shows Old Taste Detective and Meals On Mission. Those experiences, he said, left him "really impressed". 

"I learnt a lot as a chef when I took part in those shows, as compared to just being stuck in the kitchen doing the repetitive menu and R&D," said Wu, who came across shy, and at times, totally uncomfortable talking to a reporter. 

Wualso has another connection to showbiz: 27-year-old Mediacorp actress Tay Ying, who is better known as the daughter of Hong Huifang and Zheng Geping.

Rumour has it that Wu and Tay Ying are dating, though they, as well as Tay Ying's mum, have declined to confirm.

When we probe him on the rumour, our questions were immediately shot down by his overly protective manager, who interjected every time we asked anything regarding his personal life.

Guess he's really an artiste now. 

NOW THAT YOU'VE JOINED MEDIACORP, ARE YOU GOING TO VENTURE INTO ACTING TOO? 

WU SIHAN: Actually I’ll just let the company decide, but I’ll still remain more focused on kitchen work rather than acting.

SO HOW DID YOU GET INVOLVED IN VARIETY SHOWS? 

Meals On Mission was the first show I did, and Michelle Chia, who is a friend of my sister, was the one who introduced me to the production team. Initially I thought it was just doing charity work but I was surprised that it was actually a full production.

She was very kind, she kept me calm and guided me through the entire show. And I enjoyed the moment because I got to step into a new kitchen and see the good deeds that others do, like cooking for 600-800 migrant workers a day. It was very meaningful. 

WE REALISED YOU'RE ALSO VERY CLOSE TO CELEBRITIES LIKE MICHELLE CHONG, ANN KOK AND APPLE HONG. HOW DID YOU GET TO KNOW THEM? 

They’re all actually my sister’s friends. They hang out a lot and they will always tease me like: “Why are you always stuck inside the kitchen? You should step out more” (laughs).

DID THEY GIVE YOU ANY TIPS ABOUT JOINING SHOWBIZ? 

No... I’m actually quite an introvert so they always encourage me to step out and do something new. 

HOW WOULD JOINING SHOWBIZ AFFECT YOUR JOB AS A CHEF? 

I think I will try to find a balance because on top of showbiz, I’m still running a restaurant. I'll still be there and it’s still my passion to be a chef.

WILL YOU EVER GIVE UP YOUR JOB AS A CHEF TO BE A FULL-TIME ARTISTE THEN? 

We’ll see... (laughs)

DO YOU THINK BEING GOOD LOOKING IS WHAT MADE YOU POPULAR AS A CHEF, THOUGH? 

Um... (laughs). (His manager interjects: "I think he’s very shy, he doesn't know how to answer that.") Yah I don’t know how to answer that. (Laughs)

WHAT GOT YOU INTO COOKING IN THE FIRST PLACE? 

I started when we first ran the Esplanade outlet, which was a decade ago. I did everything from the ground up, from dishwashing to bartending and front of house. Wherever was short staffed, I would fill in to learn. 

When we opened the second outlet at Orchard Gateway, we were short on staff in the kitchen and that was when I went in to help. It felt like a calling like “This is something I want to do”. It was 'cos of the adrenaline rush while cooking. I didn’t find it a chore and enjoyed it. 

When the kitchen become more settled, I went to a local culinary school, At-Sunrice GlobalChef Academy, and then a few other restaurants to hone my craft.

SO YOU'RE STILL CONSIDERED QUITE NEW IN THE CULINARY WORLD? 

I must say as a chef, I do agree that I started off a little bit late. So I went to pick the most challenging restaurant I could find. The last restaurant I worked at was a French restaurant [the three Michelin-starred Joël Robuchon], where the working hours were known to be very long. We worked at least 12 to 14 hours a day but I wanted to work more hours than other chefs to gain more experience. 

IF YOU DIDN'T BECOME A CHEF, WHAT WOULD YOU BE DOING NOW? 

I would still be something more hands-on. Before going into F&B, I was in the bicycle business. [My two older sisters and I] did bike rentals and [original equipment manufacturers] bicycles in China. But O'Bikes came in and we closed the business to stop "bleeding" financially, because everybody was using O'Bikes. My bicycle dealers saw a significant drop in sales so we also stopped and went into F&B.  

YOU PREVIOUSLY WORKED WITH KYM NG IN OLD TASTE DETECTIVE S3 AND 4, IS THERE ANYONE ELSE YOU'D LIKE TO WORK WITH IN THE FUTURE? 

I enjoyed working with her. She’s so nice and professional. I’m open [to working with anyone] but I really liked working with Kym. She really kept me calm and made it very easy for me on set.

I’m an introvert and would panic whenever I face the camera, but she would tell me “eh relax” and we would have casual conversations while filming. I felt at ease with her, so I’m really thankful.

IF YOU HAD TO COOK A MEAL TO IMPRESS A GIRL, WHAT WOULD YOU CHOOSE TO COOK? 

It depends on the occasion and what you like. For example if you tell me that you really like this dish, I’ll go and learn and cook it for you.

This story was originally published in 8Days.