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L&S: Please describe yourself in 5 words:
MB: Passionate, driven, life-loving, adventurous, foodie! And can I please add honest? I know its 6 words but you need the whole picture :)
L&S: What do you enjoy most about your current profession?
MB: I love the fact that we are pioneers of a truly original product called AFC, and that my profession combines everything I am passionate about - media, creativity, and food!
L&S: What is your proudest accomplishment to date?
MB: Definitely building Asian Food Channel from scratch to what it is today. We had no precedent, we weren't trying to copy anyone or rip off someone else's business idea. We wanted to build something and had to overcome enormous odds, and understood the fears of our many platform partners who took a big risk on us, to do that. We now we have 35 million dedicated viewers in 7 countries, and all this in 5 years. That's definitely something to be proud of.
When viewers tell us they can't live without AFC, it puts a smile on my face and sometimes it is quite emotional for us to hear that something I have been a part of has been worth it. Knowing we didn't let down our wonderful platforms like Astro, or our loyal wonderful staff who also had to believe the dream, and knowing we've built something that really makes people happy... Well every now and again I have to take a moment and think WOW!
L&S: The best compliment you’ve received?
MB: I can see the passion in your eyes when you talk about life.
L&S: A peek into your fridge would reveal:
MB: A lot of food! Various cheeses, pasta, frozen roti prata (I have a soft spot for breads), lots for fresh fruits and veggies, and always a wonderful bottle of champagne.
L&S: An ideal day for you would consist of:
MB: Breakfast with good friends, a 2 hour spa session, light salad for lunch, some meetings with loyal customers and then some emailing, finally sharing a nice meal with someone special and of course watching AFC before I go to bed!
L&S: The most memorable meal you’ve ever had?
MB: That's so hard and unfair a question! We're really lucky at AFC that we get to meet with some fabulous chefs with their amazing cuisines. But if you force me to choose, then ok, it would be when we bought Chef Daniel Boulud to Singapore to cook a special dinner for our AFC guests.
After the meal was done, all our teams celebrated at a local Japanese restaurant. Let’s just say everyone had a great time, and there was even live seafood eaten! I can't say anymore but we have video evidence :)
L&S: 3 qualities you admire in both men and women?
MB: Loyalty, integrity, and honesty. As my 76 year old secretary said just last week, "You see it's all about character!" Every once in a while I have to deal with people who lie about everything from dying parents to children. They lie because it's in their nature. It's a ghastly characteristic. We as a world really need to start celebrating worthy characters again, people who are willing to do the right thing in life for the benefit of many.
L&S: What would you like people to know about you?
MB: I have high standards which anyone who has worked with me will tell you, I believe nothing great was ever achieved without a sense of excellence. Once I am around people who understand and share the value that excellence is critical, then they're always surprised by how much discretion I will give them in our business at AFC. As someone once said, 'excellence is not a skill it is an attitude'.
L&S: Lastly, Maria Brown is:
MB: Always looking for her next perfect dinner party guests.
www.asianfoodchannel.com
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