Tuesday July 14, 2009
Deanna’s fine foods
By S. INDRAMALAR
Deanna Yusoff’s latest gig is coming up all chocolate.
GRACEFUL beauty Deanna Yusoff is full of surprises. Firstly, the model-turned actress of movies like Selubung (in which she won Best Actress honours at the 10th Malaysia Film Festival in 1992), Ringgit Kassorga (1995) and Chermin (2007) proved to be more than a pretty face: she’s a race car driver who’s a regular at the Merdeka Millenium Race (an annual 12-hour race held at the Sepang International Circuit) and has had a go at go-kart and saloon car racing.
Then, came the revelation that she’s a competent singer/songwriter with two solo albums out (Divide & Continue and FIX) and another due out end of the year.
Now, Deanna divulges that she’s an ace cook – she can rustle up a 10-course meal, no sweat – and she’s a food entrepreneur too.
The Grandjean Freres: ‘The chocolates aren’t just delicious. They’re out of this world,’ says Deanna Yusoff. No, she hasn’t joined the long line of celebrities who have opened up their own eateries. Instead, through her fledgling company Artisanal Asia Sdn Bhd, Deanna plans to intoduce Malaysians to fine food.
“I’ve always wanted to do something related to food. People find it hard to believe that I am a good cook and that I make everything from scratch. My love for food comes from my family. Both my grandmothers are amazing cooks and they bake very well.
“Everything is made at home. At my mum’s place in Switzerland, we have an organic garden and we grow berries. My mum makes her own jams and my grandmother makes her own butter. I guess that’s how I got introduced to cooking,” shared the 42-year-old beauty.
Just launched a month ago, Artisanal Asia is starting small. Its making its debut with its first “fine” product: handmade swiss chocolates Grandjean Freres, which are made by award-winning pâtissiers, Marcel and André Grandjean from Givisiez, Switzerland.
“I first tasted the chocolates a few years ago while I was visiting my mum in Switzerland. They were laid out on the table and since we always have chocolate, I didn’t think much of it. Then I tasted them and I went, ‘Wow!’ I knew I had to bring them to Malaysia,” she recalled in a recent interview.
Looking at Deanna, it’s hard to believe her claims that she indulges in chocolates every day. But the slender actress stands by her claim.
“Everyone says to me: ‘I bet you don’t eat chocolates.’ But I have eaten chocolate every day, all my life. I moved to Switzerland when I was 12 and there, it’s normal to eat chocolates every day. Not a whole lot but a couple after a meal. It’s the same way with my mum. In the winter, we eat a bit more and in the summer, less.
“I don’t diet but I make sure I exercise,” said Deanna, who is also an avid tennis player.
The Grandjean Freres chocolates received an overwheming positive response from her friends and family in Malaysia. It encouraged Deanna to go ahead with her plan to sell the chocolates here. Incidentally, Malaysia is the only other location, other than the little Swiss bakery, where Grandjean Freres chocolates can be bought.
Handmade: Grandjean Freres are like a little bit of heaven in your mouth. “I found that a lot of people have similar tastes (with me). I shared the chocolates with my friends and family here, and everyone who tasted it loved it. Not one person had anything negative to say about the chocolates. I started researching possibilities and in the middle of last year, I began selling the chocolates to friends. I didn’t advertise ... it was all through word of mouth that people heard about how good the chocolates were.”
A qualified accountant, Deanna was not daunted by the challenges of starting and running her own business. Rather, she found the task gratifying. “It was really exciting. I began reading up about chocolates ... how people use chocolates, what people are after ... all sorts of things. I need to know about chocolates if I am going to sell them, and eating them alone is not enough!
“I think this is a good time to introduce fine chocolates like the Grandjean Freres in Malaysia because people are ready for quality chocolates,” added Deanna, who recently launched Artisanal Asia and the Grandjean Freres chocolates at the Khoon Hooi boutique in Starhill, Kuala Lumpur.
What is it about the Grandjean Freres chocolates that seduced her?
“They are entirely handmade. I know a lot of chocolate brands claim to be handmade but many use preservatives and are made in part with machines. But Grandjean chocolates ... when you eat them, you can tell.
“The chocolates out of this world. The whisky truffle, for example, take just a bite – it’ll seem the world around you has stopped for a while. There are different layers of experiences in one cube. These are not chocolates you stuff yourselves silly with. These are little treats for the day ... they are very special,” she said.
“With all the bad news around us – death, viruses, war – we need something to perk up our lives. If a little thing like chocolate can lift your spirits even for a little while, why not?”
The “unique recipe” is classified information but basic ingredients include the highest quality chocolate, cream, butter and, of course, secret ingredients that give the truffles their extra goodness.
The Grandjean brothers started off as bakers, selling “artisanal” breads, cakes and pâtisseries from their little shop in Givisiez. In 1992, however, the duo decided to add chocolates to their mix, resulting in the Grandjean Frères whisky truffle. For a start, Artisanal Asia has brought in three varieties – the Whisky Truffle (made with the finest Scottish whisky), the non-alcoholic Mandarin Truffle and Raspberry Truffles, flavoured with exquisite mandarin and raspberry extracts respectively.
“I wanted to start small and maybe later, introduce a couple more,” she says, adding that the Grandjean brothers operate a very intimate home business and would thus be unable to cope with massive orders.
If everything goes according to plan, Deanna plans to bring in other gourmet food products under Artisanal.
Although she’s committed to getting Artisans Asia off the ground, Deanna has no plans on exiting the silver screen.
“I’ve just been so busy with this the past year. I did quite a lot (of acting) for many years and I think I’m at a point where I don’t want to work just to fill up my CV (curriculum vitae). I want to do (projects) that I want and I think I can afford to choose now. For example, Chermin attracted me right from the start.
“There was a role for TV, I was supposed to take on ... I can’t say much about it but it’s been put on hold for the moment,” she shared.
Apart from her hosting gigs (she emcees events quite a bit), Deanna is currently working on her third album – a jazz album – that is due out after Hari Raya.
Rather than being overwhelmed by the many hats she wears – actress, singer, entrepreneur, emcee – Deanna is grateful for the diversity it offers her.
“In Malaysia and the rest of Asia, you have to be versatile or else you’ll get burned out very quickly. But it’s fun to do different things.
“Who knows? Maybe one day I’ll direct a film,” said Deanna with a smile.
For more info on Grandjean Freres truffles (03-7493 7090 / grandjean@grandjeanfreres.com / grandjeanfreres.com).
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