‘FAST ED’ HALMAGYI
The Better Homes and Gardens chef reveals how he discovered his love of food — and his tribe — at his first casual job
What is your guilty pleasure? Don’t judge me – Foster Clark’s vanilla essence just chugged straight out of the Tetra Pak, probably not even cold. It’s my best childhood memory.
What was your first casual job and what are your memories of it? On my 14th birthday my dad decided it was well past time for me to get a job. I worked as a kitchenhand in an unremarkable cafe, but in very quick time I became a chef’s assistant after filling in when one of the team went AWOL. It shaped the rest of my life. Among the long hours, greasy skin, unrelenting labour and insufficient pay, I found my tribe.
Have you ever dieted?
Every day. As a proudly Jewish fella, I take kosher pretty seriously. I have to cook with non-kosher stuff on the show all the time. I also gave up booze a few years ago, too.
What was the first place you visited overseas?
The first real memory I have is from about age three. We were staying at a farmhouse in Brittany, and I clearly remember walking through yellow flowers that seemed to reach to the sky (yes, I was small) and a small boat chained up to a bridge that I wanted to see every day and throw rocks at. Because, well, I was a three-year-old boy.
Favourite movie and why?
The Hunt For Red October – I must have seen it at least 50 times. It’s a superb thriller with meaningful political undertones and cleverly tracks the hardest parts of making impossible decisions. But really, it’s Sean Connery doing Russian. Gets me every time.
Favourite book and why?
In the Skin of a Lion by Michael Ondaatje. It’s utterly mesmerising.
What is your most memorable moment with a fan?
Young Levi had a very serious genetic disease and was never going to live past the age of 10. Not that you’d know it from his enthusiasm. Bloated and contorted we would cook together on a somewhat regular basis. I learned so much from him, both about how to live, and even how to cook. He would have been an incredible chef.
Levi also taught me how to die.
Too young and resisting the crushing burden of his disease, he never complained and never gave up.