C

elebrity chef Farah Quinn spends most of her time on the road, shooting episodes for her cooking show A la Chef, which is aired daily on TransTV, and With Farah Quinn, a talkshow broadcast on the same station every Friday at 4 p.m.

Reached by phone in Sumedang, West Java, the celebrity chef says she always puts her family first on the weekend.

Breakfast/brunch spots …

If I have the time then it will be Hotel Mulia. But since I have a hectic schedule even on the weekend, I rarely go for Sunday brunch. I like to spend time with my family, so I cook at home. I usually cook eggs benedict or eggs florentine, omelet casserole, French toast or something special. It takes me around an hour to prepare breakfast. On weekdays, I only prepare simple dishes for breakfast such as cereal and pancakes.

Comfort food …

Nasi uduk (rice cooked in coconut milk), with egg and sambal teri kacang (anchovy and peanut chili paste) is good to cure a hangover. If I’ve drunk too much wine the night before and have a hangover in the morning, I like to stuff my stomach and nasi uduk is the right choice. When I was a child, my comfort foods were Palembang dishes, such as pepes tempoyak (steamed durian paste) and pindang Palembang (pindang fish cooked Palembang style). Now, I don’t see those foods every day, so I need to ask my mother to cook them for me. They have become foods for special occasions.

Cooking in a pinch …

Go with uncooked food, such as salad. I like raw food. I once took part in a seminar about healthy lifestyle in Bali, and one of the topics was about the importance of going raw. Since then I’ve tried to insert raw food into my daily food intake. I spend my days cooking or testing foods. I need to have a balanced diet because I can’t afford to get sick. I must stay healthy and carry out my job. Raw food will be the right balance.

Favorite thing on the weekend …

I’m not a mall person, but more of an outdoorsy person. If I am free on weekends I usually go to the gym, do sports, spend time with family or catch up with friends. I don’t have a normal schedule like everybody else, so I try to keep it normal as much as I can.

If I have a weekend off, I take my son to Thousand Islands. It’s only a few hours by boat. I like quiet places for holidaying, so I’d prefer Macan Island to Putri Island or Bidadari Island.

Weekend beauty indulgence …

I ask my beautician to come to my home. I do facials once a month, manicure and pedicure once a week. If I’m outside the city, I try to find a salon. Sometimes I squeeze the treatment into the middle of my work schedule. I keep my salon options open because Jakarta is now too congested, I can’t rely on one salon only.

Weekend wear …

For me it’s not the brand that matters but more about how it fits my body. But I believe anything looks good on me. I don’t stick to one type of outfit. Sometimes I like to wear two-piece outfits, sometimes a dress. It depends on the mood. + Tifa Asrianti