Who would believe that the latest star of YouTube is a charismatic bull named Seamus? With the help of his best friend Lillian the goat and human companion, Archer, the handsome Seamus is making a name for himself as a judge of fine food and memorable dining experiences.
Redfern documentary-making team (remember the award-winning I’m Wanita) of People Productions, Clare Lewis, Matt Walker and Carolina Sorensen have once again documented a heart-warming rise from obscurity to celebrity. Born with cerebral palsy and unable to stand to access his mother’s udder, “a sad little blob” was rescued from certain death by BJ and adopted by Archer, singer, musician, songwriter and philosopher for whom Seamus has become best friend and life coach.
Both Clare and Matt agree that the idea for grooming the six-year-old Seamus to be the star of his own cooking show came from Archer. Seamus had always eaten human food and Archer observed that over time Seamus developed a discriminating palate. As competitive cooking shows were the flavour of the moment, he was convinced that Seamus could offer a serious challenge to current celebrity judges. Besides, the healthy Seamus had a hearty appetite, and Archer needed some help to provide a more varied and stimulating, and perhaps more international, menu for his discerning bull.
It seemed like a good idea – a celebration of both the absurd and of animal-human bonding – and Cooking for Seamus was launched. Documenting Seamus’s captivating encounters with the coalition of the willing to cook for him became a labour of love for Clare and Matt.
The camera dwells affectionately on its star as he gazes in gastronomical contemplation after each culinary presentation, savouring the flavours and the mouthfeel, his furry crown ruffled by the breeze. Archer might translate, estimating a 9.2 for Appalachian cornbread and beans, or maybe a 9.3 for a delicately grilled and ironically named beefsteak mushroom.
The setting is picturesque as Archer lives off-grid in rural Victoria in a ramshackle but romantic cluster of caravans and rustic accessories. When a guest chef arrives, Seamus is ritually summoned from the fields by Archer and, walking like “an old cowboy,” emerges from scrubby trees into sunlit grass. One especially endearing chef is clearly intimidated by the bull’s emerging bulk and nervously claims an allergy to “cows”. But Seamus’s talents are not confined to gastronomy. He is also a healer and miraculously, the allergy vanishes. Seamus, as BJ comments, knows when someone feels upset or sad and offers comfort.
So apart from the miscellany of guest chefs, and their concoctions – imagine hay, lychees and yoghurt moulded into a human figure and chomped through by Seamus with single-minded dedication – the intrigue for the documentary makers is the mercurial loner, Archer.
They speculate on how Seamus has become a “sort of metaphorical focus” for him.
As Archer says Seamus falls “an awful lot” but then he gets up again unhurt and intent on his journey. “I’m a fool for you”, he sings to Seamus, and Clare and Matt capture lovingly the shared moments of understanding between human and animal.
Each episode is released weekly on YouTube @CookingforSeamus. There are nine episodes so far, and counting.
