Since he was crowned MasterChef NZ champion a year ago, Sam Low’s life has changed in more ways than he could have imagined. But even though he’s about to release his own cookbook and is the face of New World and De’Longhi, Sam admits what is most important to him is that his parents finally understand he is thriving.
“So much of the fear of immigrant parents is security and safety, which means not only income stability but also having a family,” tells Sam, from his home in Auckland. “So, I think being queer, they grew a fear for me. But being able to show them I am successful and I am truly happy means they don’t need to worry about me any more.”
Sam has been working hard on a cookbook that captures flavours of his childhood.
Sam was eight years old when his family moved from Fiji to New Zealand. His parents, mum Fong Siu Fong and dad Hon Chong, left behind their noodle factory in search of a better future for their kids.
Up until then, Sam had spent his life surrounded by people who looked and talked like him, but when he arrived in Aotearoa, he was suddenly “different”.
He explains, “It wasn’t until I got older that I realised people treated me differently. Someone would comment on my lunch, so I would stop bringing those foods to school. Or someone would question what I was wearing, so I changed it. It’s all the little things that shaped me.”
As he approached his 30th birthday, Sam suffered an identity crisis. He had spent so many years trying to not be so Chinese or not seem gay, he didn’t know who he was.
He set out on a journey to reclaim his identity and though he was terrified by the thought, he knew it was time to finally come out to his parents.
As all big news is shared in Sam’s family, he sat his parents down at the dinner table, not knowing how they would respond.
“I asked my brother to be in the room with me as well, so they knew how hard it was for me to come out to them,” recalls Sam.
His fears of being rejected by his parents were immediately assuaged when he arrived for dinner the following night to find the table covered in all his favourite foods. Without them having to say a word, Sam knew that while his parents may not entirely understand his life, they loved and accepted him.
A delicious backyard banquet.
“They’ve never really spoken about it since, but I know deep down they just want the best for me,” tells the 31-year-old. “They just don’t know how to say it through words.
“I don’t know if they really understand it and I’m okay with that. I don’t think everyone needs to understand every person’s lifestyle, as long as we care for each other, that’s the main thing.”
Sam holds being a public face for both the Chinese- Kiwi community and the queer community as a big responsibility. While it would be easy to crumble under such pressure, it only makes him more determined to succeed and grow.
It is the driving force behind his upcoming cookbook. Though he can’t share many details, he says it will be filled with the delicious recipes from his childhood.
“It’s very much a snapshot of who I am in paper form,” he tells. “I want to do it right and do it justice. It’s about the magic of the food I grew up on and how others can recreate it at home.”
He has also teamed up with other Chinese Kiwi stars for the television series Sik Fan Lah!, where they take audiences on a culinary tour of the country and share stories of food that helped shape them.
Sam with Sik Fan Lah! friends (from left) Serene Leong, Justin Te Hau and Michael Huang.
It’s just the first box tick on Sam’s impressive bucket list.
“I’d love to start a podcast – I think there’s a gap in the Auckland food scene for something, and I would love my own TV show,” he shares.
“I’m extremely proud of who I am now, and I don’t want to exaggerate, but I’m the happiest I’ve ever been.”
Watch Sik Fan Lah! Sundays at 10am on TVNZ 1 or stream it on TVNZ+.
