15 minutes with Dishing It Up home cooks Jen and Waz

Inner-city parents by day and OG hipsters by night, Jennifer (Jen) and Wassim (Waz) Bazzi show us how to cook with style.

Jen and Waz

Jen and Waz feature on Dishing It Up. Source: SBS Food

-- Cook along with your favourite TV chefs in Dishing It Up 7:30pm Thursdays from 29 September on SBS and SBS Food. All episodes streaming free . For recipes and more head to . ---

 

Tell us about yourselves.

Jen: I am a freelance makeup artist. I grew up in Adelaide and now live in Sydney with my two gorgeous young boys and my hilarious husband, Waz. I'm happiest travelling and cooking, and I get extremely excited if you play me a song from the '80s and pour me a glass of wine. Let's dance!

Waz: I'm a photo retoucher and film colourist, a father of two and come from Syrian-Lebanese background. I'm also a cultural consumer, collecting everything from toys to Hawaiian shirts and art.
How did you end up being on a reality cooking series?

Waz: A producer I work with called out of the blue asking if I'd like to be on a reality show. At first, I was hesitant but when I realised it was a cooking show for SBS, I immediately agreed. I just had to convince Jen to go on with me… spoiler alert, she did!

What do you like or dislike about cooking?

Jen: Coming from an English-Italian background, my cooking is mostly inspired by nostalgia and major cravings. It represents travel with friends, family, laughter and celebration. I enjoy learning new techniques and spicing up the kitchen with new flavour combinations.
My cooking is mostly inspired by nostalgia and major cravings.
Waz: I like cooking for loved ones because it's a nice, unspoken show of appreciation. Growing up, my mum cooked for the family, all our friends and 40-50 unseen guests daily. Something about that stuck with me.
      Jen and Waz
Jen and Waz love a good cook up. Source: SBS Food
What was your favourite moment from the series?

Waz: Hand whisking egg whites into a solid then being so confident in my labours that I turned it upside down on my head.

What was your funniest memory from the series?

Jen: Tempering chocolate with a hairdryer.
What is your most memorable kitchen fail?

Waz: I once tried impressing an ex-girlfriend by making lasagna. I lined the pan with pasta sheets and meticulously layered it with filling and more sheets. When the lasagna came out of the oven, I realised that I lined the pan with uncooked pasta sheets. They never cooked and she almost lost a tooth trying to be polite.
If you could have any celebrity chef cook for you, who would you choose?

Jen: A candlelit dinner with my hall pass Jamie Oliver, of course. I'd also make plenty of space for Anthony Bourdain at the table.

Waz: Roy Choi – I love his style. I would also like Jon Favreau to tag along.

 

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SBS Food is a 24/7 foodie channel for all Australians, with a focus on simple, authentic and everyday food inspiration from cultures everywhere. NSW stream only. Read more about SBS Food
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SBS Food is a 24/7 foodie channel for all Australians, with a focus on simple, authentic and everyday food inspiration from cultures everywhere. NSW stream only.
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3 min read
Published 26 September 2022 9:55am
Updated 27 September 2022 5:29pm
By Melissa Woodley


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