US rapper loves Kiwi meat
New channel Viceland launches this week – among its shows, a rapper’s love affair with food – particularly Kiwi smoked meat. explains.
Ashley Ropati
At first glance, Action Bronson won’t strike you as the typical foodie. However the rapper, better known on our shores for his lyricism than for his penchant for linguine, has a passion for all things food – particularly when it’s whipped up by a Kiwi chef.
‘‘New Zealand is one of my favourite places in the world, period,’’ Bronson said. ‘‘The girls are beautiful, the men are cute – right? You know what I’m taking about. And the food is absolutely phenomenal.’’
The New York native is no stranger to the Kiwi culinary scene. The rapper spent summers sampling the best Pinot on Waiheke Island. In March of this year, he performed during the debut run of Auckland City Limits Festival, a gig that featured a menu curated by award-winning local chef Che Barrington of Woodpecker Hill and The Blue Breeze Inn.
The festival fare included dishes from some of the city’s best eateries, namely Beirut, Mexico, Cazador and Federal Delicatessen.
‘‘New Zealand wine is getting more and more progressive, I have a strong connection to New Zealand, a really strong connection,’’ he said. ‘‘We went to Waiheke, that was beautiful, it’s a f ...... beautiful place. My friend, he’s from New Zealand, [photographer] Tom Gould, he’s spent some time in the States. His dad has a bit of land over on Waiheke, so we always have a good time there.’’
Nowadays, Bronson is busy gaining traction for his talents off stage. The rapper hosts the wildly watchable Viceland series, fittingly titled F..., That’s Delicious. The docu-series follows Bronson and his entourage around the world, performing and eating their way throughout diversely different cities and sampling some of the world’s finest cuisine.
The Viceland channel officially opens on New Zealand TV screens on December 1 through Sky TV’s channel 13, however many are already familiar with the ultimate anti-cooking show, thanks to the show’s strong online following.
‘‘Well, around 2012, 2013, I had a couple of deals on the table, but Vice felt like the best fit for me and for what I’m about,’’ he said, when asked how the opportunity first came to fruition.
‘‘This is what I was born to do, I’m a born multitasker, I’d get bored if I were
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just sitting around. My passion for food started in my mother’s stomach, my first word was ‘bagel’.’’
Since the show’s debut, Bronson has visited a whole host of notoriously foodie cities and discussed gastronomy with the best of them. A recent trip to Tokyo was a standout, he said.
‘‘Oh man, Japan – we barely scratched the surface. I need to go back there, I need to do more in Asia, South America and maybe parts of Polynesia, like Fiji and Samoa.
‘‘Japan was incredible, the culture is very next-level,’’ Bronson added. ‘‘Tokyo is like New York’s Times Square on steroids, they’re all just walking around, the energy is phenomenal.’’
But when it comes to meat, Bronson said the best in the world is right here in Godzone.
‘‘I say this is in every single interview, seriously, the best smoked meat I’ve ever had in my f ...... life, is from The Fed Delicatessen, in Auckland, New Zealand.’’
During one episode of the forthcoming series, Bronson enjoys the very best on offer in the big smoke. He creates and names his own bagel at Auckland’s Best Ugly Bagels alongside celebrated Kiwi chef Al Brown.
‘‘Chef Al Brown is a master, he’s a great guy, first and foremost. He knows what he’s doing and his smoked meat is better than Katz’s Deli in NYC,’’ he said with complete conviction. ‘‘That’s a big claim, I know.
‘‘It’s something about that manuka, that manuka wood? I don’t know, it’s something very special.’’
Long before he was selling out hiphop
'My mother and grandmother, always cooked. We'd eat at home, we'd always be cooking, it was never about 'eating out', you know. I worked in kitchens for many years before the whole music thing started.' Action Bronson
gigs around the world, Bronson was working in a kitchen, the natural career path for someone who grew up in a devout foodie family.
‘‘My mother and grandmother, always cooked,’’ he said. ‘‘We’d eat at home, we’d always be cooking, it was never about ‘eating out’, you know. I
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worked in kitchens for many years before the whole music thing started.’’
Throughout the series, Bronson covers New Orleans, Paris, New Zealand and Tokyo to name but a few.
The rapper is joined by his entourage of fellow performers, Meyhem Lauren, Big Body Bes, and legendary rap producer, The Alchemist. When he’s not on stage, Bronson spends the majority of the docu-series scouring his host cities for the best ‘‘food, weed, and jet skis’’.
‘‘Wellington is a great place to eat also, when you’re flying in there, you wonder if you’ll make it, but the food in Wellington is special. You guys have some of the best street food, too.’’
When asked if a return trip to New Zealand was on the cards, Bronson replied: ’’Are you kidding me? Am I considering coming back ... I don’t need a f ...... music festival to come back. That was a great day though!’’
F... That’s Delicious,
Saturdays from December 3, 8.30pm on Viceland, Sky channel 13.