New ground: Robert Danhi learns to make maize wine from a Lo Lo ethnic woman in Ha Giang. — VNS File Photo

HCM CITY (VNS) — Well-known American chef Robert Danhi will be the new host for the second season of the television show Kham Pha Viet Nam (Taste of Vietnam), the producers told the inaugural ceremony of Robert Danhi – Taste of Vietnam.

Ly Minh Phuong Quynh, executive producer of the programme, said Dien Quan Media and Entertainment, the producers, have finalised locations and plans for filming the series' 26 episodes.

"The most outstanding feature is the new host, American professor and chef Robert Danhi, an expert with nearly 25 years of research into Southeast Asian cuisines [but] with the friendliness, sincerity, and enthusiasm of a typical Mekong Delta villager."

Based on experts and viewers' feedback, organisers have decided to make many changes to the programme, she said.

The series will promote destinations that are new or little-known to international and domestic tourists, such as the highlands in the north-east and north-west, the south-west during the flood season, and islands in the central and the south-western regions.

Each episode will be of 22-24 minute duration, and take viewers in Danhi's footsteps to discover the landscapes, culture, people, and cuisine in a particular locality.

Around a third of each episode will feature cooking, with Danhi introducing local favourites with his own twist to them.

"The series Robert Danhi – Taste of Vietnam will convey the hidden beauty of the Vietnamese country and people," Quynh said.

"The dishes will be distinctive and unusual even to Vietnamese."

In 2008 Danhi founded Mortar & Press, a multimedia group that conceptualises and produces culinary-infused content.

Its offerings include Southeast Asian flavours – Adventures in Cooking the Foods of Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, & Singapore, which won the Best Asian Cookbook of the USA award in 2009 and a "Best Asian Cookbook in the World".

HCM City Television will broadcast the series every week starting next July. — VNS