Comedienne Joanne Kam dishes out roast pork after Covid-19 affects work

Malaysian comedienne Joanne Kam Poh Poh is famous for delivering punch lines that  leave viewers in stitches. However, with her work in showbiz affected by the Covid-19 pandemic, she has turned to doing something else.

The 47-year-old has a cooking talent not many are aware of, which is making crispy roast pork. She shared with the Malay Mail recently that she would make the dish for occasions such as Chinese New Year or for the house parties of friends.

She said: “The Covid-19 pandemic and Movement Control Order have taken a toll on art practitioners as a lot of us in the field have lost our source of income.

“So I decided to turn to my signature culinary dish — roast pork — that I have perfected and adjusted over the past years.

“There is a special technique that not many people know when making the roast pork,  which is the marination that has to be done the night before and the varied temperature required for the roast pork to be cooked well.”

Kam added that it had been three weeks since she started selling her roast pork dishes and that she only accepted orders upon request.

“Initially for this week, I was supposed to make only five roast pork dishes. But I had 11 orders instead, so I had to find time to make them.

“My first customer was a friend of mine, who then passed the message to another friend, and that was how people started to know about the dish.

“Some of the people who ordered were also fans of mine who also happened to be my Facebook friends.”

Kam shared that customers either picked up the dish from her house or she delivered it  through Lalamove riders. Customers who have tried the roast pork dish have complimented her on it, calling it superb and perfect.

As businesses and theatre companies reopen after the MCO and as she resumes work as a comedienne, Kam said her roast pork business would have to suit her schedule.

On Saturday (June 27), Kam held an online comedy variety show together fellow comedian Steven Bones.

Kam became popular in theatre after playing Yat Soh in the Boh Cameronian award-winning musical Broken Bridges. The multi-talented star also produced the Bollywood version of William Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew in 2010, where she played the character Kate alongside celebrities such as Vince Chong and Ash Nair. /TISG