Perfectionist chef
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It's not just what's in it that counts, but what's not. According to this 35-year-old chef, he knows exactly what’s inside anything that he puts in his mouth.
If he has it his way, vegetables touched by pesticides, rice processed with bleaches or anything with MSG will not find their way into his kitchen.
What does have a place in his kitchen at the Kitchen Creatures restaurant, in Centrepoint, Bandar Utama, is distinct Western and Italian cooking which is deeply flavourful.
The restaurant is packed daily during lunch, mostly with regulars who come to taste Norman’s special Spaghetti Aglio-Olio with shrimp and mushroom, a specially-flavoured soup, pastas and pizzas. Most of his customers are stunned by the textures, tastes and freshness of the food.
Norman, who was trained under renowned chef Ricky Palanti, says practice makes perfect and this is what he expects his team of six to do in the kitchen.
"I get very disappointed when I find out my staff have not followed the exact ingredients or substitute it with something else or worst of all, omit it totally. Somehow, I can tell what's missing or has been used in excess," said Norman who plans to open his own restaurant before the end of the year.
As a young boy, Norman enjoyed messing around in the kitchen, helping his late mother, Mariam Ali prepare meals for their big family. Norman has seven siblings and he is the second last.
"My late mum used to cook three to four dishes a day in a jiffy and she can complete her task within one hour. Looking back, I'm still amazed at how fast she could do all the chores in such a short time," said Norman who admits having no chemistry working in an office environment.
After all those years helping his mother, the image of him in the kitchen stuck in his head and he went ahead to pursue his dream to become a chef.
Norman has worked in every part of the kitchen. He remembers fondly how he ended up working in Delifrance during the early days in 1995. From there, he moved on to work in the pastry department at the Hilton KL for the next two years.
Somehow, Norman knew it was going to be a difficult journey to become a trained chef but he never once gave up.
"All along, the desire of wanting to have the whole kitchen to myself was so great. I finally got my chance after working my way up," said Norman who blames his profession for still being single.
Despite being deprived of a love life, Norman said labouring in the kitchen for long hours under the tutelage of master Chef Ricky Palanti was more fulfilling somehow.
This ex-chef of Carcosa Seri Negara and Shangri-La followed Palanti almost everywhere for the next 10 years until Palanti opened his own restaurant, the Mango Tree.
In fact, Norman owes it to Palanti for all his training and shaping him to be what he is today.
"They say if you can survive working with the regimented and difficult Palanti, you can survive anywhere. I agree full-heartedly. It is not easy working with Palanti. He trained me the hard way and after many years under him, the reward now shows," said Norman who has mastered the Western and Italian cuisine.
According to Norman, he has always aspired to be a chef. Nothing that his parents or friends said changed his mind.
"Wanting to be a chef was my ultimate goal in life. I did not go for any formal education but my passion guided me to make the best choice in this career," said the local-born who still appreciates the good, old-fashioned cooking of his father.
"You may not have the formal training but with great passion, you can achieve your dream. It was a long process to reach where I am now but I never regretted it," said Norman who has 13 years of experience.
Norman admits that the competition to be the best in this line is rather stiff.
"Every chef has his or her own speciality. It's fine with me. The cake is big enough for everyone to share it," said Norman.
Here's Norman's Spaghetti Aglio-Olio with Shrimp and Mushroom.
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