Born in Singapore and christened Redzuawan bin Ismail, his family moved to Pahang after his father was assigned in the Malaysian air force. The eldest of seven other children, Chef Wan started his food career off at a young age, earning extra cash cooking for weddings at the army camp they were living in.

The celebrity chef has served up for a few well known characters in his time, including the Sultan of Brunei and former U.S. President, Bill Clinton. A household name in Malaysia, Chef Wan has hosted cooking shows all round the world and published dozens of cookbooks.