The knob on the stove top turns, clicking continuously until a flame ignites underneath a silver pan. A hand hovers over the curved metal containment as the cook makes sure that the pan emits enough heat before she pours oil into it. She takes a plate of minced garlic and chopped onions and scrapes the contents into the pan, bits and pieces jumping and swirling as colours change. No, she doesn’t know how many cloves she prepped or if the onion is considered ‘large’ or ‘medium-sized’; but yes, she knows she prepped enough.
Tim Talam of MasterChef Australia fondly remembers his grandmother’s cooking, how she sautéed garlic and onions to make his favourite dishes of lengua and kare-kare, how she cooked using her senses instead of a measuring cup, and how she slaved in the kitchen from morning till late afternoon to make sure that her family was well-fed.
“We’d always be just full,” he says, “I grew up with Filipino food. I absolutely loved it.”
Born of Filipino immigrant parents, this Sydneysider shares that his appreciation of Filipino cuisine and love for cooking enabled him to search for other flavours and cuisines to sample and experiment with. Sampling and experimenting then led him to find his passion for American-style barbecue and smoked meats – (try not to salivate) brisket, pulled pork, short ribs and the like.
A younger Tim Talam with his grandmother. Source: Tim Talam
From his grandmother's kitchen and from his own grill, Mr Talam found his way onto the "difficult but rewarding" set of Masterchef Australia.
He admits that participating on the show had always been part of his "bucket list", and that the realisation of that dream became an opportunity to meet big names in the industry, to become friends with like-minded cooks and to learn more about food and his own style of cooking.
"The show in itself was so raw. It’s just us cooking. We forget the cameras are there half the time. It's just us on a plate," he shares.
Tim Talam on MasterChef Australia Source: Tim Talam
And Mr Talam on a plate was all about barbecue, so he was given the nickname 'Meat Bae' (a derivative of 'Salt Bae', a Turkish chef who has a unique way of salting food) on the show.
"It’s definitely caught on. I don’t think I have a first name anymore," he jokes, "I don’t get called Tim anymore."
But while the public may now refer to Mr Talam as 'Meat Bae', he will always be the same-old Tim to his family - the same Tim who relishes cooking and spending time with the ones he loves the most.
"As hard as it is [to cook] the whole day, but [when] your family come[s] around, they just sit there and enjoy [what you cooked]...I don’t actually eat. I just notice everyone around me having a good time and just being happy to be together," he says.
His stint on MasterChef Australia may now be over, but his time on the show further fueled his passion for cooking and validated his ouido-style, "tantsa this, tantsa that" cooking which was inspired by his grandmother who always created "sensational dishes".
Tim Talam's parents and sister. Source: Tim Talam
"I’m an intuitive cook because I cook based on what I like to eat and on the flavours I enjoy. Intuition is one of those things that you follow what you think is right - just follow your own recipe," he shares.
The coals on the pit ignite, turning from black to ashy to orangey red. He seasons a slab of steak and places it on top of the grill, its marbling resembling streets and laneways on a map of raw red meat. The flames grow higher and envelope the meat, slowly charring it and turning it brown. He lets the meat rest and seasons it a last time. No, he doesn’t know how much salt and pepper he used; but yes, he knows it's seasoned just right. He knows it's done.
Tim Talam creating food he loves the most - barbecue. Source: Tim Talam
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