They say you can’t teach an old dog new tricks, but Alan (Al) Markham is prepared to test that adage in this season of MasterChef New Zealand. After a chance encounter with judge Simon Gault, Al (62) was persuaded to audition for the show and as the eldest contestant this year he’s out to prove that older people can take the heat in the kitchen.
“I’m flying the flag for the older generation and I will give the youngsters a run for their money!” says Al, who lives in Lower Hutt with his wife Gerda. “My wife and I saw Simon at The Food Show in Wellington and we said, ‘Why don’t you get anyone from an older generation on the show?’ “Simon said, ‘It’s because they don’t apply. If you fancy a go, then go for it,’ and he gave me a few pointers on how to fill in the application form.”
MasterChef is one of several challenges Al has faced later in life. Originally from England, he immigrated to New Zealand with Gerda 14 years ago at age 48 to be nearer his stepdaughter Karnabie and her family. Al says his family has always been supportive of him, but it was something Gerda had been trying to persuade him to do for some time.
“My wife’s been badgering me to go on the show since we first saw it in the UK,” says Al, who has been married for 27 years. “We watched one of the earlier seasons in 1993. Ross Burden, the Kiwi chef, actually won it that year. “My wife was always saying, ‘You could do that,’ and 19 years later here I am doing it in a different country,” he says.
Although extroverted Al is one of this season’s most colourful characters, a badly presented dish saw him on the chopping block during an onion-cutting elimination challenge. But Al emerged from the ordeal smiling and without shedding a single onion-induced tear.
A truck driver by trade, he says he is made of tough stuff and has developed a thick skin. “The boys at work have been ribbing me for ages, but I’ve got broad shoulders,” says Al, who adds that before allowing him time off work, some of his colleagues made him wine and dine them for a special night with clients.
“I’m pretty adaptable – I can cook a truck driver’s mixed grill or a nice lamb cutlet with a pea puree and sauce,” he says. Al thinks his sense of humour and his eagerness to learn new things will stand him in good stead for the show. The self-taught chef owns more than 300 cookbooks and says he is always trying to conjure up new dishes and sharpen his skills.
“It’s called the University of Life – you’re always learning,” says Al. “On the show you’ll see me watching other contestants and noticing what they’re doing and how they make things.”
At home, Al does most of the cooking while Gerda does all of the gardening. Gerda owns hundreds of gardening books, which compete for shelf space with Al’s cookbooks, but their mutual interests become symbiotic when Al uses their homegrown fruit, veges and herbs in his cooking.
“It works out quite well. My wife has a wonderful herb garden, which I use almost every time I cook,” he says. “Gerda always tells people she can’t cook, but she can. But I enjoy cooking and she enjoys eating the food.”