Roger Mooking is a culinary powerhouse with a uniquely diverse background. The award-winning chef, television host, restaurateur, and recording artist has built an international reputation for his innovative fusion of global flavours. Born in Trinidad and raised in Canada, Mooking brings his multicultural perspective to everything he touches, from hosting popular food shows like “Man Fire Food” and “Heat Seekers” to creating memorable dining experiences at his restaurants. His infectious passion for combining unexpected ingredients has earned him recognition as one of North America’s most creative culinary voices. Beyond the kitchen, Mooking’s musical talents as a Juno Award-winning artist further showcase his artistry and creative spirit. Whether he’s exploring international cooking techniques, crafting new dishes, or performing on stage, Roger Mooking continues to push boundaries while celebrating the cultural connections that food creates.
What is your channel called and what is it about?
Breaking Bread with Roger Mooking is a podcasty cooking show. Together, we cook time-honoured favourite family recipes of world-renowned figures of arts and culture. We then sit down and share that meal that we made together. It is broadcast on Amazon Live and the Amazon Live Channel on Amazon Prime.
When did you start it? What motivated you at the beginning?
We launched our first episode in 2024 with Kardinal Offishall and in early 2025 with Alessia Cara. I love storytelling, and I am infinitely curious. Knowing that food is the greatest connector of people and clearly something I am passionate about, I wanted to create something where we can have an immediately intimate connection with our guests through their favourite family foods, every family has one of these
Who were you inspired by? Any influences?
Martha Stewart, Bruce Lee and Mike Tyson have formed the foundation of the life you see. Martha for her dedication to excellence and sharing nothing but the best meticulously and steadily. I did an event with Martha a couple years ago, and she loved my cookbook, so that was cool. Bruce Lee for his dedication to craft, discipline and overcoming barriers faced by immigrants worldwide. Mike Tyson for the inspiration to never give up, and being able to evolve dramatically in one lifetime. From each, I take the bits and pieces I know and appreciate and have cobbled together a kind of architecture that is on solid ground.
How would you describe your audience?
I get 8 to 80 year olds of all walks of life, backgrounds, political stripes, income levels, and communities. I live in food, arts and music perpetually, so the community is vast.
What is your creative process? Do you have people who work with you?
My process is to destroy the last process I did. A great artist once told me that once you sign with a gallery, the gallery will want more of that same thing to build a consistent sales funnel for collectors. Then the artist is subjected to having to do the same thing over and over. This sounds like creative death to me. So I’m always pushing my own limits and the limits of my collaborators in every craft. Usually, this process entails doing too much and stripping things away to distil the essence of all of that energy.
How do you monetize your content? Do you also have another job?
My only job is spreading love and connecting people, although my tools are broad and the “jobs” are beyond numerous. Also, I don’t make content, I make art, it’s about craft and storytelling. I don’t think there is a word on the planet I hate more than “content.”
What is your favourite piece of content you have created?
I don’t make content. My favourite album of mine is Eat Your Words. My favourite full-body experiential art installation was The Burn. My favourite restaurant I’ve ever done is Twist by Roger Mooking at Pearson International Airport. My favourite recipe is on my current menu at the airport, it is Egg and Nori, it’s so simple and delicious. Often, I will run into customers from my previous restaurants, and a decade later, they remind me of a dish they dream about to this day that I completely forgot about. The creative output is so much, I can’t remember it all. 🙂
What is the best part about what you do? What is the worst part?
Building community and connecting people through food, music and the arts. This is the root of culture; this is how we behave in the world with one another and in the environments we inhabit. To be a cultural contributor for my entire adult life and to be able to influence and inspire others as an example of exploring all of your multitudes is a gift. The invasion of privacy, at times, can be annoying, especially when I’m enjoying precious family time in public.
What are your future plans for your channel?
Keep watching.
Where can we follow you?
Website | Instagram | Facebook | YouTube
PAY IT FORWARD: Who is another Canadian content creator that you love?
I’m not a content creator, and I have no interest in that ecosystem. I make my things and then share them with the world through the entire media landscape, from traditional to contemporary places. The distribution network is simply about telling the story of the world that I just built, or the activation I just installed or the new menu. It’s not about the “content,” it’s simply a way of using the “content” landscape to show and tell stories. We’ve been telling stories around campfires with sticks for many, many centuries. Even with the vast online world, if I start a fire and grab some sticks and some marshmallows, everybody knows what they are doing for the next while.
