Erwan Heussaff recalls butter carbonara and uncooked sago controversies – ABS-CBN

Erwan Heussaff Addresses Viral Backlash from Italia Squisita and Undercooked Sago

Reflecting on Viral Culinary Backlash

In a recent interview, Heussaff discussed the challenges of maintaining cultural accuracy while under the pressures of rapid content creation. He specifically pointed to his buttery carbonara recipe from 2018, which drew significant attention from the Italian YouTube channel Italia Squisita. The channel uploaded a video in which Italian chefs reacted to and critiqued the recipe. In response, Heussaff released his own video in which he stressed that he was not making a traditional carbonara.

Looking back at the wave of criticism surrounding that incident, Heussaff noted, I understood that it was all sensational. He admitted, however, that other incidents proved more difficult to navigate. The taho one kind of hit a little deeper, he admitted.

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Tastemade Production Demands Led to Compromised Recipe Filming

Production Pressures and the ‘Undercooked Sago’ Incident

Heussaff provided context regarding his time working with Tastemade in Santa Monica, California, where he was tasked with serving as the face for various Asian cuisines. He recalled that people at Tastemade would fly him in four times a year to shoot pan-Asian content. So I was the face for Vietnamese, Japanese, Chinese, Filipino, Thai, Malaysian, whatever Asian they needed me to be, I was okay, Heussaff recalled.

He described a demanding production environment where recipes were prepared to be filmed within an hour, and he was asked to shoot six to eight recipes a day. Regarding the 2016 video that resurfaced online two years later, leading to heavy backlash for the undercooked sago, Heussaff recalled realizing during the shoot that the ingredients were not properly prepared. “I would give notes where I could in terms of how things should be prepped. And I show up, and the sago wasn’t soaked, right? And it wasn’t pre-boiled, and obviously I’m not dumb – I could tell it was hilaw inside. But I couldn’t say no, I don’t wanna do this video,” he explained.

He noted that this controversy hurt as people assume that you're an idiot without the benefit of the doubt.

Heussaff Cultivates a Cancel Radar for Media Operations

Developing a ‘Cancel Radar’ for Content Strategy

These experiences served as a turning point for how Heussaff manages his media operations today. He credits these controversies with helping him cultivate what he describes as a very strong cancel radar when it came to approving stories at the office.

Heussaff Implements New Clarity Standards for Cultural Dishes

Heussaff emphasized that his current production philosophy centers on ensuring that the intent behind his content is clear to viewers, even when time is limited. I was very careful in terms of how I approached food, cultural dishes, and everything like that, he said. He now prioritizes a more careful approach to how he portrays such topics, focusing on understanding every aspect of, if the viewers aren't in the room with us, will they kind of understand everything we're trying to say, through this limited time that we have them?