Jason Roberts
We first met Jason Roberts at a Key Private Bank event in Bonita Springs. He was quiet, charming and polite. That is, of course until he burst onto the stage and rocked the house. When we set up this interview, little did I know that delving into this amazingly talented chef's life and cooking, I would come to know a pure soul, with a huge heart, who was a truly unique and gifted individual. With a wonderful smile and a glint in his eye that reveals a bit of mischief, a bit of wonder, a bit of all the places and things he has experienced, he can be a captivating presence, especially when there is an audience present.
As Louis and I have spent a good deal of time with Jason, it is amazing to watch his trasformation from the reserved, somewhat shy and polite New Zealander that we have now come to call friend, into the raucus and rowdy Jason Roberts Live that you all see when the curtain goes up and the camera starts rolling. Suddenly revealed is the energy, humor, culinary excellence and ability to reach out to his audience, no matter how big or small. Suddenly, the visage before you explodes onto the stage as if a super nova, and you are at once captivated. With a stage presence that belies his 34 years, Jason has the ability draw an audience in and make them feel as if he is speaking to each and every one of them individually.
Prior to seeing him in Atlanta, we had been invited by the terrific people at Southern Wines to cover the Tampa Bay Wine and Food Festival. In speaking to them, we learned that due to some scheduling conflicts, a few of the chefs they had scheduled were not going to be able to attend. Louis made a call to Jason who graciously stepped up to the plate (pun intended) on a moments notice, and after working out the details with Southern Wines, rearranged some things and agreed to do the show in Tampa. For that we are extremely grateful. Thank you Jason, for being a true professional and a real friend.
We sat down with him at the Atlanta Cooking and Entertainment Show to do this interview and of course recently spent time together in Tampa. It is my distinct pleasure to bring you Up Close and Personal with our our very dear friend, Jason Roberts.
GG: What was it like to publish your own Cookbook?
JR: It was a rewarding feeling. When the book was done, we had 8 books and we all sat around a table. We had to bring out a standup product. Through self-publishing, we maintained all integrity. In regard to doing another, I’ll think twice. What you miss without a publisher is the machine, the distribution. They have access to everything.
GG: Talk about MANICJ.
JR: ManicJ was a company that was setup between Maree, Nicole and myself. J for Jason. It was an acronym for us. It was something that was setup because we had many opportunities doing different cooking events and we just needed a name for what we were doing. And strangely enough we are very manic with everything we have going on.
GG: What is your life's philosphy? Your creed as it were?
JR: Friends, family and good nutrition, those 3 things. One of the biggest things I talk about when I get on stage is good nutrition. I believe that prevention is better than a cure. So we eat well, we exercise. We maintain it. We can live a long healthy life, because I believe in quality not quantity.
GG: You spend a lot of time on the road, in one hotel and then another. You been between one continent and another in the last several months, back and forth. That must take a toll on you. How do you do the balance for yourself?
JR: Yeah, it does take a toll on me. (Laughter all around.) I watch TV, I sleep when I should be working.
GG: You guys live near LA. Do you live close to the beach?
JR: We’re not far from Santa Monica.
GG: Do you surf?
JR: Not so much, LA doesn’t have the greatest surf. The knee’s held me back a lot at the moment. I’ll tell you my knee has been the greatest frustration this year so far. (Prior to the show in Bonita Springs Jason had injured his knee)
GG: And you’re pretty active on stage too.
JR: And not having a knee? When I was with you in Florida, up to prior to being on stage, I was transferred in the airport in a wheel chair and was on crutches. A few weeks ago I got a cortisone injection. You know all about that. (to Louis about his neck) It has been the biggest thorn in my side. Not being active. I love to get up early in the morning, I love to go to the gym and spend a couple of hours there. It’s frustrating, it does my head in. Exercising is my biggest outlet.
GG: So what are you doing now for it?
JR: Juices. I physically cannot do anything. Everything you want to do that is cardio orientated you need your knee. Swimming, that’s probably the only thing that I can actually do right now. When I was exercising, I could eat a lot more, now that I’m not, over the last few days I went and bought a juicer. A Breva.
GG: We just bought a Jack LaLaine ourselves.
JR: Really? It’s all about cleaning for me and the Breva one works and it cleans well. There are always these whole lot of attachments that you need to clean. I go on the internet and I’m looking for anti-inflamatories. Ginger, turmeric, being conscious of omega 3s, all your fish and nuts and things, salmon, mackerel. Do you know the biggest thing in America is that we over consume on Omega 6s, everything found in corn products? 20 times the amount and then so we’re disturbing the potential right amounts of anti-inflamatories in the system because we’re taking too much Omega 6s and not enough Omega 3s. I don’t know what else to do about my knee. So I’m all gung-ho trying to be conscious about that. So everything is juice right now, it’s all about juice. U-rine (your in) control. I’m still peeing red.(laughter)
GG: I want to get personal with us here with a Southwest Florida question. What was the most memorable experience when you were in Southwest Florida?
JR: Meeting you guys.
GG: We can’t write that. You did a lot of things when you were there. You went to schools.....
JR: As a whole it was a memorable experience. But if I can identify one particular thing, it’s always being in front of the kids. Being in front of those kids telling them my life experiences, thinking "They’ve got every opportunity that I had."
GG: During a part of the conversation about your love of life, your gregariousness, you said that sometimes you have to turn that back, dial it down, if you will. Sometimes you are very reserved. Is it like a switch for you?
As Louis and I have spent a good deal of time with Jason, it is amazing to watch his trasformation from the reserved, somewhat shy and polite New Zealander that we have now come to call friend, into the raucus and rowdy Jason Roberts Live that you all see when the curtain goes up and the camera starts rolling. Suddenly revealed is the energy, humor, culinary excellence and ability to reach out to his audience, no matter how big or small. Suddenly, the visage before you explodes onto the stage as if a super nova, and you are at once captivated. With a stage presence that belies his 34 years, Jason has the ability draw an audience in and make them feel as if he is speaking to each and every one of them individually.Prior to seeing him in Atlanta, we had been invited by the terrific people at Southern Wines to cover the Tampa Bay Wine and Food Festival. In speaking to them, we learned that due to some scheduling conflicts, a few of the chefs they had scheduled were not going to be able to attend. Louis made a call to Jason who graciously stepped up to the plate (pun intended) on a moments notice, and after working out the details with Southern Wines, rearranged some things and agreed to do the show in Tampa. For that we are extremely grateful. Thank you Jason, for being a true professional and a real friend.
We sat down with him at the Atlanta Cooking and Entertainment Show to do this interview and of course recently spent time together in Tampa. It is my distinct pleasure to bring you Up Close and Personal with our our very dear friend, Jason Roberts.
"G'day, I'm Jason Roberts."
Gourmet Girl: So tell us about where you grew up?
Jason Roberts: I was born in New Zealand at the southern part of the island in a very small place called Ramarou. When I was 3 my mom and I left there and went to Queensland. When we got to Australia, we jumped ship and up until the age of 12, I grew up on a dairy farm. When you grow up on a dairy farm you learn to become resourceful. Growing up on a farm is a totally different situation than growing up in the city as these days, kids think milk comes from a carton and chicken from a package.
GG: So what fueled your passion for food and cooking?
JR: First and foremost I guess one of the biggest reasons I got into cooking, was my grandparents, who were both cooks,and secondly, growing up in that resourceful situation on a farm. Always, since I was 4,yrs old I can remember being around food and my mom being a good cook. She was a housewife, my dad worked on the council. So I had 2 choices, I could be a housewife or work on the council. (laughs) I didn’t become a housewife but I did get into cooking, I’ve always loved it.
GG: You’ve mentioned your nana, watching her in the kitchen?
JR: My grandmother certainly was one of my biggest inspirations. I think if I look back and I just remember some of the times walking through the kitchen that she ran, this was back in New Zealand. I do remember these big burly chefs in white coats and they were happy. There were big blooming guys saying "Aw, look at these cheeks," They all loved me. There was just this energy and I think I’ve held onto that.
GG: You’ve associated that energy with food, love and happiness.
JR: Yes.
GG: You recieved accolades in school for your cooking. Tell us about that.
JR: When I was 12, I moved back to Auckland, New Zealand. I did my primary school when I was in Australia, high school and college in New Zealand. I’m in a school with 30 kids, very, very small. We were lucky if we got to cook. If you did all your homework then you got to do the cooking the next day. It was small town, there wasn’t much opportunity. I got to make pancakes maybe biscuits. It wasn’t anything big but I just remember feeling that this was somewhat shaping my career path.
GG: Was there an apprentice type program?
JR: I got into an apprenticeship at age 18. In high school, I chose home economics which was sewing, cooking, etc. I was the only guy in a room full of girls. It was good.(laughs) I would get picked on by the other guys saying "You’re doing cooking?" I’d say who’s the fool here, I’m in a room full of girls!" I did the food for a staff meeting and I was passionate about it. Being 15/16, getting a letter back from the principal thanking me, that was a big thing for me.
GG: What was your first Culinary job?
JR: When I was 18, I looked like I was 11 years old. No one was going to give me a job back in New Zealand. It was hard to get a job in any kitchen. I couldn’t get a job in bloody McDonalds! I went back to Australia to live with my Dad. He was a house painter. My first job was in Kentucky Fried Chicken for a month. I stayed there, I enjoyed it, great people. It was my first opportunity in the kitchen, though I never found out what the 11 herbs and spices were. (Loud laughter). I did enjoy working there, they were great people.
GG: What was your funniest experience working there?
JR: Not wanting to leave because the Juke Box played all my favorite music. (smiles) Everything was exactly by the book though. I was only there for a month and a half. My dad got me my first real kitchen job on Bondi Beach at a restaurant called Ravici. Southwestern food. This woman, Megan Brown, was eccentric. She was about 35/36 and was the head chef there. Big bright pink eyebrows. her nickname was "Pink Eyes". She was a great, great chef. Very stern. She wouldn’t differ from the menu at all. For breakfast it was scrambled eggs, no poached eggs, no fried eggs and if you asked for it, you never got it. She was a female Gordon Ramsey.
GG: Wow, first you have rigidity of KFC and here you are in an established restaurant and you have rigidity again.
JR: Oh my God, yeah. But, I liked that and she took me under her wing. She offered me an apprenticeship. Ravici’s had a bit of notoriety being on Bondi Beach, one of the most beautiful beaches in Sydney. I got to surf and that was another reason I loved the job. I could surf during the day and work nights. It was perfect for me. I met some great people in regards to learning.
GG: When you say she was rigid and a mentor, was it she who taught you the basics, sauces, etc.?
JR: It was like Tex-Mex, Southwestern. It wasn’t classical French by any means. On the second shift, Steve Nichols was an amazing chef too. He also took me under his wing. I was "little Jase." They both mentored me. There were some great people that worked there that have gone off to do amazing things, in regards to writing books. I was at the restaurant a year and a half, then Megan left to have children, Steve went over to a place called Armstrong's and I followed him there. That’s were I got my love of classical French food. It had a little bit of everything, Japanese, Tex-Mex, French. I was there for a year and then moved to Bistro Moncur.
GG: Anything that stands out about you time at Bistro Moncur?
JR: I was lucky, a friend of mine that I worked with at Ravici's was working at Moncur. I was looking up Manly (the friend) at the time Steve was leaving Armstrong's. I went in just to see if there were any opportunities. Moncur was a new restaurant. It was getting a lot of accolades, it had a couple of hats, 2 hats, (like our US star ratings) 3 is the most, and there are only a handful of those. I walked in that day and that morning basically someone had walked out.
GG: Timing is everything.
JR: Oh my God yes! Colin Holt was head chef at the time. I sat down with him, just like I’m doing with you now and told him my story. He was interested in teaching people who were interested in learning. I was all about learning new things.
GG: We have found in most cases that ‘chefs/owners’ are looking for character and not necessarily skills, because character can’t be taught but skills can. Your character is very strong, it comes across.
JR: Colin was this pint-sized guy, he was about 5 foot and just awesome in the kitchen, a strong leader. He was there probably for a year and half. I still keep in contact with him. I was at Tate (school), doing my apprenticeship at school one day a week for 2 ½ years. He was always asking questions about that. He came along to my final exam. He and Damien Pignolet, who owns Bistro Moncur. Damien opened most of the doorways for me. Offering positions to me and eventually the Head Chef's job. I was there for 4 years.
GG: We talk to some chefs and what I find they tell us is, they’ve gone to culinary school, get honors from CIA, but after graduation they come out and still have to go through the actual experiences that you did in order to get to where they want to be.
JR: That’s why the system in Australia works so well. You’re hands on, you’re doing it. We did the culinary intstitute course WHILE we were working in the restaurant. Gaining knowledge that you’re bringing back to school. For my final exam I was fortunate, I got a 100 percent. I had an amazing teacher Les Giorski, this old Hungarian guy. He understood what it was like.
GG: Help us get to know the Surfer/Adventurer Jason Roberts. You seem to live your life with gusto. Where does that come from?
JR: I started surfing when I was about 15. I can’t think of anything like it. Waterskiing is cool too. I’ve never done snow skiing, but I can imagine it must be cool. There is nothing like when you are really relying on the elements. Nothing beats that adrenaline rush.
GG: Where does that come from? You’re a farm boy after all.
JR: 15/16 I was living back in New Zealand for 3 years. I had a group of friends that surfed. It took me a little while to get into it.
GG: You seem to have this love for nature and the outdoors. A zest for life.
Chatting with Elaine
Backstage getting mic'd
Jason Roberts: I was born in New Zealand at the southern part of the island in a very small place called Ramarou. When I was 3 my mom and I left there and went to Queensland. When we got to Australia, we jumped ship and up until the age of 12, I grew up on a dairy farm. When you grow up on a dairy farm you learn to become resourceful. Growing up on a farm is a totally different situation than growing up in the city as these days, kids think milk comes from a carton and chicken from a package.
GG: So what fueled your passion for food and cooking?
JR: First and foremost I guess one of the biggest reasons I got into cooking, was my grandparents, who were both cooks,and secondly, growing up in that resourceful situation on a farm. Always, since I was 4,yrs old I can remember being around food and my mom being a good cook. She was a housewife, my dad worked on the council. So I had 2 choices, I could be a housewife or work on the council. (laughs) I didn’t become a housewife but I did get into cooking, I’ve always loved it.
GG: You’ve mentioned your nana, watching her in the kitchen?
JR: My grandmother certainly was one of my biggest inspirations. I think if I look back and I just remember some of the times walking through the kitchen that she ran, this was back in New Zealand. I do remember these big burly chefs in white coats and they were happy. There were big blooming guys saying "Aw, look at these cheeks," They all loved me. There was just this energy and I think I’ve held onto that.
GG: You’ve associated that energy with food, love and happiness.
JR: Yes.
GG: You recieved accolades in school for your cooking. Tell us about that.
JR: When I was 12, I moved back to Auckland, New Zealand. I did my primary school when I was in Australia, high school and college in New Zealand. I’m in a school with 30 kids, very, very small. We were lucky if we got to cook. If you did all your homework then you got to do the cooking the next day. It was small town, there wasn’t much opportunity. I got to make pancakes maybe biscuits. It wasn’t anything big but I just remember feeling that this was somewhat shaping my career path.
GG: Was there an apprentice type program?
JR: I got into an apprenticeship at age 18. In high school, I chose home economics which was sewing, cooking, etc. I was the only guy in a room full of girls. It was good.(laughs) I would get picked on by the other guys saying "You’re doing cooking?" I’d say who’s the fool here, I’m in a room full of girls!" I did the food for a staff meeting and I was passionate about it. Being 15/16, getting a letter back from the principal thanking me, that was a big thing for me.
GG: What was your first Culinary job?
JR: When I was 18, I looked like I was 11 years old. No one was going to give me a job back in New Zealand. It was hard to get a job in any kitchen. I couldn’t get a job in bloody McDonalds! I went back to Australia to live with my Dad. He was a house painter. My first job was in Kentucky Fried Chicken for a month. I stayed there, I enjoyed it, great people. It was my first opportunity in the kitchen, though I never found out what the 11 herbs and spices were. (Loud laughter). I did enjoy working there, they were great people.
GG: What was your funniest experience working there?
JR: Not wanting to leave because the Juke Box played all my favorite music. (smiles) Everything was exactly by the book though. I was only there for a month and a half. My dad got me my first real kitchen job on Bondi Beach at a restaurant called Ravici. Southwestern food. This woman, Megan Brown, was eccentric. She was about 35/36 and was the head chef there. Big bright pink eyebrows. her nickname was "Pink Eyes". She was a great, great chef. Very stern. She wouldn’t differ from the menu at all. For breakfast it was scrambled eggs, no poached eggs, no fried eggs and if you asked for it, you never got it. She was a female Gordon Ramsey.
GG: Wow, first you have rigidity of KFC and here you are in an established restaurant and you have rigidity again.
JR: Oh my God, yeah. But, I liked that and she took me under her wing. She offered me an apprenticeship. Ravici’s had a bit of notoriety being on Bondi Beach, one of the most beautiful beaches in Sydney. I got to surf and that was another reason I loved the job. I could surf during the day and work nights. It was perfect for me. I met some great people in regards to learning.
GG: When you say she was rigid and a mentor, was it she who taught you the basics, sauces, etc.?
JR: It was like Tex-Mex, Southwestern. It wasn’t classical French by any means. On the second shift, Steve Nichols was an amazing chef too. He also took me under his wing. I was "little Jase." They both mentored me. There were some great people that worked there that have gone off to do amazing things, in regards to writing books. I was at the restaurant a year and a half, then Megan left to have children, Steve went over to a place called Armstrong's and I followed him there. That’s were I got my love of classical French food. It had a little bit of everything, Japanese, Tex-Mex, French. I was there for a year and then moved to Bistro Moncur.
GG: Anything that stands out about you time at Bistro Moncur?
JR: I was lucky, a friend of mine that I worked with at Ravici's was working at Moncur. I was looking up Manly (the friend) at the time Steve was leaving Armstrong's. I went in just to see if there were any opportunities. Moncur was a new restaurant. It was getting a lot of accolades, it had a couple of hats, 2 hats, (like our US star ratings) 3 is the most, and there are only a handful of those. I walked in that day and that morning basically someone had walked out.
GG: Timing is everything.
JR: Oh my God yes! Colin Holt was head chef at the time. I sat down with him, just like I’m doing with you now and told him my story. He was interested in teaching people who were interested in learning. I was all about learning new things.
GG: We have found in most cases that ‘chefs/owners’ are looking for character and not necessarily skills, because character can’t be taught but skills can. Your character is very strong, it comes across.
JR: Colin was this pint-sized guy, he was about 5 foot and just awesome in the kitchen, a strong leader. He was there probably for a year and half. I still keep in contact with him. I was at Tate (school), doing my apprenticeship at school one day a week for 2 ½ years. He was always asking questions about that. He came along to my final exam. He and Damien Pignolet, who owns Bistro Moncur. Damien opened most of the doorways for me. Offering positions to me and eventually the Head Chef's job. I was there for 4 years.
GG: We talk to some chefs and what I find they tell us is, they’ve gone to culinary school, get honors from CIA, but after graduation they come out and still have to go through the actual experiences that you did in order to get to where they want to be.
JR: That’s why the system in Australia works so well. You’re hands on, you’re doing it. We did the culinary intstitute course WHILE we were working in the restaurant. Gaining knowledge that you’re bringing back to school. For my final exam I was fortunate, I got a 100 percent. I had an amazing teacher Les Giorski, this old Hungarian guy. He understood what it was like.
GG: Help us get to know the Surfer/Adventurer Jason Roberts. You seem to live your life with gusto. Where does that come from?
JR: I started surfing when I was about 15. I can’t think of anything like it. Waterskiing is cool too. I’ve never done snow skiing, but I can imagine it must be cool. There is nothing like when you are really relying on the elements. Nothing beats that adrenaline rush.
GG: Where does that come from? You’re a farm boy after all.
JR: 15/16 I was living back in New Zealand for 3 years. I had a group of friends that surfed. It took me a little while to get into it.
GG: You seem to have this love for nature and the outdoors. A zest for life.
Chatting with Elaine
Backstage getting mic'd
JR: Besides cooking I guess I’m all things outdoors as well. Whether it’s running outdoors or swimming, surfing, that’s my biggest place to download. When I don’t get it, I pent up this frustration.
GG: Most people would do meditation or yoga? How do you unwind here without surfing available?
JR: I give Maree a lot *&^%$. (Loud laughter)
GG: Speaking of Maree.....How did you meet Maree and Sunjay?
JR: The endorsement I had with I COOK cookware. Maree was looking for someone really good-looking, someone with big muscles (all said tongue in cheek) and I don’t know why, but she came up with me. She worked for the company, I was hosting a TV show, just finished hosting Channel 9. They were looking for someone and my name came up in the mix. I had to go through their head office because it doesn’t matter what country it’s in, all decisions have to go through corporate. Corporate was looking for a Global face. I went to the head office and got a thumbs up for most countries and became the global spokesperson. I did my first event in the Bahamas. Learning the cookware, learning my new product, my first time as a spokesperson for any product. Worldwide travel, it was awesome.
GG: How did you start ManicJ?
JR: I did the Australian event in Hawaii with Maree. Right after that Maree left the company and at that point I was going through management change. Maree started doing all my work for me. I mean you’ve got to love that right? (Speaking to Sunjay) Where’d you come from by the way? (Everyone smiles and continues with laughter.) Who are you? Actually Sunjay worked for the corporation also. When Maree left the company she took the both of us and we came to America.
GG: You really met each other on the job. That’s okay on the business part but the relationship is much more than that. How did it develop into what you have today? After all you are close friends too.
JR: I’ll tell you why Maree and I work. Just in general about me and my relationships, which I shouldn’t get into. I don’t last too long in relationships. I’m always on the go. I put business before personal. What I have with Maree is a great balance. Maree is, I don’t want to use the words good cop/bad cop, maybe positive and negative, I don’t know. Maree sees the side I never see, she has the business acumen.
GG: The front of the house back of the house kind of thing.
JR: Yes. Maree has the ability to see it from my point of view and I’ve learned to start seeing it from her perspective. We do have fights though when I want to walkout and everybody wants to strangle me. I said to Maree the other day, "This is the longest relationship I’ve ever had with a woman."
GG: How did you get to channel 9?
JR: In the last 2 years I was at Moncur was when I hosted a TV show. It had become a little tougher, I was working 70/80 hours a week between the two. Jamie Oliver (The Naked Chef) had just hit the scene and Cannel 9 was looking for the next Jamie Oliver. There was a show called 'What’s Cooking' and it got canned because the TV host and host of the show didn’t get on. There was apiece in the paper called "Young Guns Celebrity Chefs Cook-Off Australia." It was myself, Darren Simpson Ashly Hughes. Jamie was first noticed when something was being filmed at the River Café. He was in the bar behind the scenes. The BBC was filming it and he just stuck out and that’s how he got his deal. The 3 of us did a piece at our own restaurants in front of the camera and I did salt crusted chicken, I was camping it up a little bit too! I loved the opportunity (and it’s what sells). I was still very green, but they offered me an opportunity. Some people said, "Oh you look a bit like Jamie." If anything, it was just being young.
GG: And your physique.
JR: I’m much fitter than him. (winks and smiles) It was being young, someone who can cook and speak in front of the camera. I was on my way to Fashion Week and I recieved a phone call from Channel 9. They said we really like you, we need you now. Are you available to come in now?" I jumped in a cab and went straight to Channel 9. I started 5 days a week, I was getting a ½ hour and double my salary. I was 24/25. It was awesome. It was timing. I continued to do that show for 4 years.
GG: People say it's luck but there’s a lot of hard work and preparation in order to to be in the right place at the right time.
JR: Oh my gosh, yeah. And knowledge. So you can imagine when I first started doing a show like that. Obviously 7 years ago in front of a camera I was not as confident as I am now. It took me a year, year and a half to feel comfortable. I did have a little bit of input, but I wanted to have everything classical French, blood sausages and such. But no one's ever going to cook that. For me and where I am now, it led me to have more of an understanding of the people who watch the show and what they needed. I started cooking for people as opposed to cooking what I wanted to cook.
GG: Now you come to America and go on National TV. You seem to have obviously gotten comfortable in front of the camera because you were on Sharon Osborne and you drop your pants and jump in bed with her. No hesitation. Was it good or bad?
JR: Dropping my pants?
GG: Yes
JR: I knew I was going to do it when I walked out. It’s funny, I did an interview when I first started on Channel 9 (Australia) and they were, "Why is it that you cook? What drives you to cook?" I want to be loved. I think what that means to me as well. It’s not the recognition so much for cooking, it’s the recognition for making people happy. You walk out on Sharon Osborne’s show with a big plate of food, you put it down, you drop your pants. It’s Fun!
GG: Yeah, they loved it.
JR: That’s why I do what I do. I want to hear people laugh, get excited. People watch cooking shows I think, not so much because they think "Oh, I can be a great chef." I believe there is some gene you’ve either got it or you don’t. People watch it because there is something warming about it. That’s why I love television so much, it’s a great medium for having people laugh. I take my cooking seriously but I don’t take myself seriously. That’s what makes it easy for me, that interaction between me and whoever is in front of me. It really comes alive when you hear them laugh.
GG: Did Sharon know you were going to do that?
JR: No, no!
GG: So you not only took the audience by surprise but you suprised her as well?
JR: Yeah, the biggest thing for me is to make sure you’ve got everyone’s attention. I was doing a show in Greensboro, North Carolina. I was in front of 30,000 people and we’re throwing out tee-shirts, right. You can always attract people in the front rows with tee-shirts, but with 30,000 people you want to make sure you get those people way in the back. So I jumped off the stage, ran to the back and climbed this thing and gave one to the farthest person. I knew by doing that I would catch the whole back of the house. The camera was on me the whole time, watching me climb up and everything. I’m conscious of that, trying to bring everyone into my space.
GG: It must have been hard leaving all you knew and were comfortable with in Australia to start traveling and move to the U. S. What was the transition like and talk a bit about how you have balanced living in a completely different culture?
JR: The transition of coming here and obviously re-establishing yourself is more about building credit, finding a placeto live, getting a phone put in, stuff like that. Everything else is exactly the same. The reason people love my being here is because I'm Australian. If you look at my background, when I was 3 I moved to Queensland, when I was 12, I moved back to New Zealand. I’ve been nomadic my entire life. Just in regards to my personality and who I am as a person. I don’t know if you’re into that spiritual stuff or not, but as an Aquarian, we have a tendency to be nomadic and like that can move straight away.
GG: You’re never looking behind at what happened, you’re always looking ahead.
JR: Always.
Prepping for the show
Speaking to the audience
GG: Most people would do meditation or yoga? How do you unwind here without surfing available?
JR: I give Maree a lot *&^%$. (Loud laughter)
GG: Speaking of Maree.....How did you meet Maree and Sunjay?
JR: The endorsement I had with I COOK cookware. Maree was looking for someone really good-looking, someone with big muscles (all said tongue in cheek) and I don’t know why, but she came up with me. She worked for the company, I was hosting a TV show, just finished hosting Channel 9. They were looking for someone and my name came up in the mix. I had to go through their head office because it doesn’t matter what country it’s in, all decisions have to go through corporate. Corporate was looking for a Global face. I went to the head office and got a thumbs up for most countries and became the global spokesperson. I did my first event in the Bahamas. Learning the cookware, learning my new product, my first time as a spokesperson for any product. Worldwide travel, it was awesome.
GG: How did you start ManicJ?
JR: I did the Australian event in Hawaii with Maree. Right after that Maree left the company and at that point I was going through management change. Maree started doing all my work for me. I mean you’ve got to love that right? (Speaking to Sunjay) Where’d you come from by the way? (Everyone smiles and continues with laughter.) Who are you? Actually Sunjay worked for the corporation also. When Maree left the company she took the both of us and we came to America.
GG: You really met each other on the job. That’s okay on the business part but the relationship is much more than that. How did it develop into what you have today? After all you are close friends too.
JR: I’ll tell you why Maree and I work. Just in general about me and my relationships, which I shouldn’t get into. I don’t last too long in relationships. I’m always on the go. I put business before personal. What I have with Maree is a great balance. Maree is, I don’t want to use the words good cop/bad cop, maybe positive and negative, I don’t know. Maree sees the side I never see, she has the business acumen.
GG: The front of the house back of the house kind of thing.
JR: Yes. Maree has the ability to see it from my point of view and I’ve learned to start seeing it from her perspective. We do have fights though when I want to walkout and everybody wants to strangle me. I said to Maree the other day, "This is the longest relationship I’ve ever had with a woman."
GG: How did you get to channel 9?
JR: In the last 2 years I was at Moncur was when I hosted a TV show. It had become a little tougher, I was working 70/80 hours a week between the two. Jamie Oliver (The Naked Chef) had just hit the scene and Cannel 9 was looking for the next Jamie Oliver. There was a show called 'What’s Cooking' and it got canned because the TV host and host of the show didn’t get on. There was apiece in the paper called "Young Guns Celebrity Chefs Cook-Off Australia." It was myself, Darren Simpson Ashly Hughes. Jamie was first noticed when something was being filmed at the River Café. He was in the bar behind the scenes. The BBC was filming it and he just stuck out and that’s how he got his deal. The 3 of us did a piece at our own restaurants in front of the camera and I did salt crusted chicken, I was camping it up a little bit too! I loved the opportunity (and it’s what sells). I was still very green, but they offered me an opportunity. Some people said, "Oh you look a bit like Jamie." If anything, it was just being young.
GG: And your physique.
JR: I’m much fitter than him. (winks and smiles) It was being young, someone who can cook and speak in front of the camera. I was on my way to Fashion Week and I recieved a phone call from Channel 9. They said we really like you, we need you now. Are you available to come in now?" I jumped in a cab and went straight to Channel 9. I started 5 days a week, I was getting a ½ hour and double my salary. I was 24/25. It was awesome. It was timing. I continued to do that show for 4 years.
GG: People say it's luck but there’s a lot of hard work and preparation in order to to be in the right place at the right time.
JR: Oh my gosh, yeah. And knowledge. So you can imagine when I first started doing a show like that. Obviously 7 years ago in front of a camera I was not as confident as I am now. It took me a year, year and a half to feel comfortable. I did have a little bit of input, but I wanted to have everything classical French, blood sausages and such. But no one's ever going to cook that. For me and where I am now, it led me to have more of an understanding of the people who watch the show and what they needed. I started cooking for people as opposed to cooking what I wanted to cook.
GG: Now you come to America and go on National TV. You seem to have obviously gotten comfortable in front of the camera because you were on Sharon Osborne and you drop your pants and jump in bed with her. No hesitation. Was it good or bad?
JR: Dropping my pants?
GG: Yes
JR: I knew I was going to do it when I walked out. It’s funny, I did an interview when I first started on Channel 9 (Australia) and they were, "Why is it that you cook? What drives you to cook?" I want to be loved. I think what that means to me as well. It’s not the recognition so much for cooking, it’s the recognition for making people happy. You walk out on Sharon Osborne’s show with a big plate of food, you put it down, you drop your pants. It’s Fun!
GG: Yeah, they loved it.
JR: That’s why I do what I do. I want to hear people laugh, get excited. People watch cooking shows I think, not so much because they think "Oh, I can be a great chef." I believe there is some gene you’ve either got it or you don’t. People watch it because there is something warming about it. That’s why I love television so much, it’s a great medium for having people laugh. I take my cooking seriously but I don’t take myself seriously. That’s what makes it easy for me, that interaction between me and whoever is in front of me. It really comes alive when you hear them laugh.
GG: Did Sharon know you were going to do that?
JR: No, no!
GG: So you not only took the audience by surprise but you suprised her as well?
JR: Yeah, the biggest thing for me is to make sure you’ve got everyone’s attention. I was doing a show in Greensboro, North Carolina. I was in front of 30,000 people and we’re throwing out tee-shirts, right. You can always attract people in the front rows with tee-shirts, but with 30,000 people you want to make sure you get those people way in the back. So I jumped off the stage, ran to the back and climbed this thing and gave one to the farthest person. I knew by doing that I would catch the whole back of the house. The camera was on me the whole time, watching me climb up and everything. I’m conscious of that, trying to bring everyone into my space.
GG: It must have been hard leaving all you knew and were comfortable with in Australia to start traveling and move to the U. S. What was the transition like and talk a bit about how you have balanced living in a completely different culture?
JR: The transition of coming here and obviously re-establishing yourself is more about building credit, finding a placeto live, getting a phone put in, stuff like that. Everything else is exactly the same. The reason people love my being here is because I'm Australian. If you look at my background, when I was 3 I moved to Queensland, when I was 12, I moved back to New Zealand. I’ve been nomadic my entire life. Just in regards to my personality and who I am as a person. I don’t know if you’re into that spiritual stuff or not, but as an Aquarian, we have a tendency to be nomadic and like that can move straight away.
GG: You’re never looking behind at what happened, you’re always looking ahead.
JR: Always.
Prepping for the show
Speaking to the audience
Graze and Elements
GG: What was it like to publish your own Cookbook?
JR: It was a rewarding feeling. When the book was done, we had 8 books and we all sat around a table. We had to bring out a standup product. Through self-publishing, we maintained all integrity. In regard to doing another, I’ll think twice. What you miss without a publisher is the machine, the distribution. They have access to everything.
GG: Talk about MANICJ.
JR: ManicJ was a company that was setup between Maree, Nicole and myself. J for Jason. It was an acronym for us. It was something that was setup because we had many opportunities doing different cooking events and we just needed a name for what we were doing. And strangely enough we are very manic with everything we have going on.
GG: What is your life's philosphy? Your creed as it were?
JR: Friends, family and good nutrition, those 3 things. One of the biggest things I talk about when I get on stage is good nutrition. I believe that prevention is better than a cure. So we eat well, we exercise. We maintain it. We can live a long healthy life, because I believe in quality not quantity.
GG: You spend a lot of time on the road, in one hotel and then another. You been between one continent and another in the last several months, back and forth. That must take a toll on you. How do you do the balance for yourself?
JR: Yeah, it does take a toll on me. (Laughter all around.) I watch TV, I sleep when I should be working.
GG: You guys live near LA. Do you live close to the beach?
JR: We’re not far from Santa Monica.
GG: Do you surf?
JR: Not so much, LA doesn’t have the greatest surf. The knee’s held me back a lot at the moment. I’ll tell you my knee has been the greatest frustration this year so far. (Prior to the show in Bonita Springs Jason had injured his knee)
GG: And you’re pretty active on stage too.
JR: And not having a knee? When I was with you in Florida, up to prior to being on stage, I was transferred in the airport in a wheel chair and was on crutches. A few weeks ago I got a cortisone injection. You know all about that. (to Louis about his neck) It has been the biggest thorn in my side. Not being active. I love to get up early in the morning, I love to go to the gym and spend a couple of hours there. It’s frustrating, it does my head in. Exercising is my biggest outlet.
GG: So what are you doing now for it?
JR: Juices. I physically cannot do anything. Everything you want to do that is cardio orientated you need your knee. Swimming, that’s probably the only thing that I can actually do right now. When I was exercising, I could eat a lot more, now that I’m not, over the last few days I went and bought a juicer. A Breva.
GG: We just bought a Jack LaLaine ourselves.
JR: Really? It’s all about cleaning for me and the Breva one works and it cleans well. There are always these whole lot of attachments that you need to clean. I go on the internet and I’m looking for anti-inflamatories. Ginger, turmeric, being conscious of omega 3s, all your fish and nuts and things, salmon, mackerel. Do you know the biggest thing in America is that we over consume on Omega 6s, everything found in corn products? 20 times the amount and then so we’re disturbing the potential right amounts of anti-inflamatories in the system because we’re taking too much Omega 6s and not enough Omega 3s. I don’t know what else to do about my knee. So I’m all gung-ho trying to be conscious about that. So everything is juice right now, it’s all about juice. U-rine (your in) control. I’m still peeing red.(laughter)
GG: I want to get personal with us here with a Southwest Florida question. What was the most memorable experience when you were in Southwest Florida?
JR: Meeting you guys.
GG: We can’t write that. You did a lot of things when you were there. You went to schools.....
JR: As a whole it was a memorable experience. But if I can identify one particular thing, it’s always being in front of the kids. Being in front of those kids telling them my life experiences, thinking "They’ve got every opportunity that I had."
GG: During a part of the conversation about your love of life, your gregariousness, you said that sometimes you have to turn that back, dial it down, if you will. Sometimes you are very reserved. Is it like a switch for you?
JR: Yes, it is a switch, it is like clocking in. I am quite reserved, I need my quiet time, like anyone else. When I’m on, and trust me I love being on, it's feeding off people’s enthusiasm and stuff like that. Being in front of a camera, you think you are giving a 100 percent but there is so much lost to editing, you’re actually giving 50%. So you have to give 150%. Once a week I’d film 5 shows, they’d air the following week. The next day I’d feel like I’d been hit by a train. Oh my god, I was wrecked.
JR: Yes. And I love getting myself out of situations too. You might have seen on the show reel at something I was on, Ali and Jack. The thing caught fire (laughter all around). I tend to be able to think on my feet. In a restaurant situation, when someone sends back their steak, you don’t have time to ‘figure things out’ you have to respond quickly.
GG: I know it’s your background, but is classical French cuisine truly your favorite?
JR: If I was cooking for 10 people or 10 best friends were coming over for dinner, there would be some element of classical French. I am also conscious of trying to create a balanced meal of 3 or 4 dishes.
GG: Your video show reel captures your whole being. You’re the chef, you’re the surfer, the good looking young Aussie. What’s the one thing about you that our readers would be surprised to learn?
JR: I've just spent 15 minutes in front of a hair dryer drying myself, because I didn’t want to use the hotel towels because there is so much bleach on them. (Loud Lughter) I have very sensitive skin.(winks) But that’s not what you really want to hear.
One of the biggest things is, "I am a very sensitive person." In general. I love being around people. But that’s what makes me me. Being sensitive is why I want to see people laugh. Because when they laugh I feed off their enthusiasm.
GG: What’s on the horizon for Jason Roberts?
JR: World domination!!!! Going green, becoming eco-friendly. Being more conscious of what’s around and helping people. I guess the company, Maree and I, Sunj and anyone else who is involved with us, we have many humanitarian needs we want to fulfill. Trying to help people eat better on a budget, that’s where we are going.
GG: Anything that springs to your mind that we didn’t ask you about? Something that’s important that you want to be sure that our readers know? This is your 60 second soap box: GO!
JR: I don’t take myself so seriously when I’m on stage. I like to get people to laugh. I think as a chef, once you’ve reached that point in your career, when you can get over your ego.
It’s about things I know they can go home and cook, things they can cook on a budget. Things that are accessible. I feel fulfilled as a person in front of these people, personally. This is my biggest thing, it’s exciting, I’m giving back.
When it’s not so much about you but what the customer wants, I think that’s when you reach the pinnacle of your career. When you drop your ego, when it’s not about you, when it’s about what the customer wants.
Jason then tells us about a special meal that was prepared specially for him by one of his mentors Damian Pignolet in Australia. While speaking about this he became somewhat emotional and the love these two have for each other was quite evident.
JR: Sitting in that space with Damian, sharing this meal as simple as it was, I could remember every mouthful of that meal and how important it was. It was moving. What a weird situation to sit there. You know it tasted incredible, but it wasn’t just the meal. If you think about every element that went into that dish, it was a sensual dish. It was the thought that he put into it for me and what it meant for him. It was an incredible experience. That time in my life was a turning point. I think for me, to drop my ego and being able to drop my pants (reference to Sharon Osborne Show). It’s not so much about the food, its’ about the interaction.
GG: He didn’t necessarily teach you how to cook, he taught you how to live.
JR: Right.
GG: Do you have any regrets?
JR: Regrets? No, I don’t have any regrets. What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger sort of thing. I am about the people, that’s why I cook. I want to give what the people want. So I guess I’m a people person.
We appreciate all the access and support that Jason has given to us here at Gourmet Girl Magazine. We all will be watching as this young man's star continues to rise. In his own words, we wish you, "G'day!"
JR: Yes. And I love getting myself out of situations too. You might have seen on the show reel at something I was on, Ali and Jack. The thing caught fire (laughter all around). I tend to be able to think on my feet. In a restaurant situation, when someone sends back their steak, you don’t have time to ‘figure things out’ you have to respond quickly.
GG: I know it’s your background, but is classical French cuisine truly your favorite?
JR: If I was cooking for 10 people or 10 best friends were coming over for dinner, there would be some element of classical French. I am also conscious of trying to create a balanced meal of 3 or 4 dishes.
GG: Your video show reel captures your whole being. You’re the chef, you’re the surfer, the good looking young Aussie. What’s the one thing about you that our readers would be surprised to learn?
JR: I've just spent 15 minutes in front of a hair dryer drying myself, because I didn’t want to use the hotel towels because there is so much bleach on them. (Loud Lughter) I have very sensitive skin.(winks) But that’s not what you really want to hear.
One of the biggest things is, "I am a very sensitive person." In general. I love being around people. But that’s what makes me me. Being sensitive is why I want to see people laugh. Because when they laugh I feed off their enthusiasm.
GG: What’s on the horizon for Jason Roberts?
JR: World domination!!!! Going green, becoming eco-friendly. Being more conscious of what’s around and helping people. I guess the company, Maree and I, Sunj and anyone else who is involved with us, we have many humanitarian needs we want to fulfill. Trying to help people eat better on a budget, that’s where we are going.
GG: Anything that springs to your mind that we didn’t ask you about? Something that’s important that you want to be sure that our readers know? This is your 60 second soap box: GO!
JR: I don’t take myself so seriously when I’m on stage. I like to get people to laugh. I think as a chef, once you’ve reached that point in your career, when you can get over your ego.
It’s about things I know they can go home and cook, things they can cook on a budget. Things that are accessible. I feel fulfilled as a person in front of these people, personally. This is my biggest thing, it’s exciting, I’m giving back.
When it’s not so much about you but what the customer wants, I think that’s when you reach the pinnacle of your career. When you drop your ego, when it’s not about you, when it’s about what the customer wants.
Jason then tells us about a special meal that was prepared specially for him by one of his mentors Damian Pignolet in Australia. While speaking about this he became somewhat emotional and the love these two have for each other was quite evident.
JR: Sitting in that space with Damian, sharing this meal as simple as it was, I could remember every mouthful of that meal and how important it was. It was moving. What a weird situation to sit there. You know it tasted incredible, but it wasn’t just the meal. If you think about every element that went into that dish, it was a sensual dish. It was the thought that he put into it for me and what it meant for him. It was an incredible experience. That time in my life was a turning point. I think for me, to drop my ego and being able to drop my pants (reference to Sharon Osborne Show). It’s not so much about the food, its’ about the interaction.
GG: He didn’t necessarily teach you how to cook, he taught you how to live.
JR: Right.
GG: Do you have any regrets?
JR: Regrets? No, I don’t have any regrets. What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger sort of thing. I am about the people, that’s why I cook. I want to give what the people want. So I guess I’m a people person.
We appreciate all the access and support that Jason has given to us here at Gourmet Girl Magazine. We all will be watching as this young man's star continues to rise. In his own words, we wish you, "G'day!"