Biography
Bobby is a permanent fixture on 'Top Chef Middle East' and his new series 'Keep It Simple' launched at the end of 2020. 'Celebrity' is a mantle that seems tailored for Bobby Chinn and certainly, since being discovered, his television career has moved quickly both onwards and upwards. Having scaled the ladder of success as a talented Chef, notorious host, acclaimed restaurateur and international author, the inevitable next step was to take the Bobby Chinn experience to a broader audience on television. Bobby's infectious enthusiasm and passion for food, coupled with his trademark reputation as a natural entertainer, were already widely recognized when the Discovery Channel, TLC, scouted him out to host his first TV show -World Café Asia - presenting a taste of Asia through traditional hawker stalls, renowned restaurants and local hot-spots. Unsurprisingly, the role of 'Celebrity Chef' was a natural fit for Bobby, whose unique and engaging character guaranteed the overnight success of the show. Viewing figures swiftly surpassed expectations allowing for the further development of 'World Café Middle East' and an extended episode run time of 60 minutes. The 'World Café' franchise has been widely celebrated through multiple entertainment awards including 'Best Entertainment Presenter' - World Café Asia (Asia Television Awards 2007, 2010), and 'Best Entertainment Program' - World Café Middle East (Asia Television Awards, 2010). Following its syndication by both Planet Food Collection and Globe Trekker, World Café has attracted a global audience and is regularly broadcast across Asia, Europe and the Americas. Over the last decade, Bobby has established himself as a mainstay of the global food-channel networks including Discovery TLC, MBC, Globe Trekker, Food Network, CNN, BBC, Channel 4 UK and UKTV, and in addition to World Café he has solo hosted Bobby Chinn Cooks Asia, Detox and Restaurant Bobby Chinn, for which he was nominated for 'Best Reality Show - Executive Producer' (Asia Television Awards, 2012). As an expert on Asian and Middle Eastern cuisines, he has been regularly featured as a Guest Chef on Globe Trekker Food Hour, Saturday Kitchen, Full on Food, Sunday Brunch, Great Food Live, The Martha Stewart Show, The Big Eat, Bizarre Foods, and No Reservations. Bobby has worked alongside some of the world's leading TV food personalities including Keith Floyd, Martha Stewart, Anthony Bourdain, Antony Worrall Thompson and Andrew Zimmern, and he is now a tenured expert judge on 'Top Chef Middle East' which, after 4 seasons and with a 5th in the pipeline, is one of MBC's highest rated programmes and the most popular culinary show across the Middle East and North Africa. Most recently, season 1 of Bobby's new series 'Keep It Simple' launched across the Middle East in 2020 on MBC's Shahid Originals streaming service.
