Chef Ismail
Some people are born great, some are made.  Chef extraordinaire Ismail Ahmad is one who is nurtured by nature.  Born in Kampung Chengkau Hulu, Rembau, the young Ismail Ahmad grew up in a laid back kampong where wild herbs and spices grew in abundance.  His curiosity and the fact that he was often asked by nenek to help in the kitchen familiarized him with the scents and flavours of spices and herbs, the essence of Malay cuisine.

Post school, he pursued his passion for the culinary arts by obtaining a diploma in Hotel Management and Catering course at the Mara University of Technology, and another from the Hilton International Kitchen Apprenticeship Program. 

Armed with the basic requisites, he stepped into the world of cookery, working for KFC holdings, teaching at Taylor’s College, and heading the kitchen at Restoran Yasmin, among others.

Ismail reached a new milestone when he was asked to host a cooking show on RTM1.  One stint led to another and soon there was a string of shows – he was all over the Malaysian networks, and on Singapore’s too.  Ismail caught the eye of government agencies on the lookout for people to promote things Malaysian.  What more charming spokesman for Malaysian food and cuisine than this charismatic and eloquent chef?

Soon, he was enlisted as an ambassador for MATRADE to promote local cusine to countries like USA, Middle East and Europe. With the Tourism Ministry, Ismail has thrilled cooking enthusiasts with demonstrations in Japan, South Africa, Cambodia, and the United Kingdom.  Literally taking the kampong to the world, his dishes have adorned the tables of the finest restaurants in France, England, and America.

Chef Ismail has a restaurant – Restoran Rebung, owned by him and his partner and pal, Malaysian astronaut, Dr Sheikh Muszapar Shukor Al-Masri The restaurant serves kampong styled food in a kampong setting and is a hit with urban dwellers with a yen for a taste of home.  Fame and fortune have not affected Chef Ismail.  If anything, it has empowered him with the resources and the means to fulfil his calling – to protect the charms of the kampong against the ravaging tide of modernity.  Those who have savoured his cooking have something to cherish forever.