6 Super Chinese Chefs You Need to Know
We hear a lot about big name foreign chefs doing excellent things around Shanghai, but we live in China so its about time that we focus on some of the local born chefs that make this town go round. They have big personalities and years of experience. Whether cooking local or western cuisine, they are all passionate about their work. Some spend time in swanky Bund buildings while others run fast casual restaurants, but they are all making food you should be eating.
Kelvin Chai
Kelvin Chai is the executive chef of both Mercato Shanghai and (opening in March) Mercato Guangzhou. While a Shanghai native, he excels at Italian fine dining as anyone who has visited Mercato will attest.
What is your biggest professional achievement?
I don’t think I’ve really achieved anything yet, but if I have to name one it may be that I’m the only Chinese executive chef in Jean-Georges’ restaurants around the world.
What are you inspirations?
I respect and enjoy everything in the life, which makes me care about the uniqueness of different ingredients.
How did you overcome the challenges on your path to success?
By always keeping positive no matter what’s in front of me, and keep doing better.
What do you want to accomplish in 2018?
A new Mercato restaurant will be opened in Guangzhou in March; I hope we can make it another success. Meanwhile, continue to contribute to Mercato Shanghai and try to achieve higher goals.
Ma Shi Yu
Pastry Chef, Ma Shi Yu, is better known by her nickname, Chef Qiqi. She has worked at WUJIE for six years. While she started out in the industry without a formal culinary education, her whimsically beautiful desserts are an integral part of the experience at Michelin-starred, WUJIE on the Bund as well as at WUJIE Chengdu in99 Centre.
What is your biggest professional achievement?
My biggest achievement and joy is doing something I love on a daily basis, which is creating desserts.
What are you inspirations?
I get inspiration from life in general, from daily happenings, food and fun.
How did you overcome the challenges on your path to success?
By being positive and embracing them, and learning how to let go. It also helps to remember that failure is a building block to success.
What do you want to accomplish in 2018?
I want a happy and positive life, while spreading love to those around me.
Anthony Zhou
After honing his craft at high end establishments such as the Portman Ritz Carleton and Laris (now closed) at Three on the Bund, Chef Zhou has moved onto projects such as Chaoshan hotpot restaurant, Holy Cow, and Mi Xiang Yuan, which focuses on healthy and affordable Chinese lunch sets.
What is your biggest professional achievement?
It has to be my journey from being a chef working for someone else to becoming a restauranteur with four of my own venues. Through having my own projects, my work brings me much greater happiness and satisfaction. I've learned so much more than I could have by just working in the kitchen, for example, project planning, managing employees, interacting with all the people involved from investors to architects. But the most interesting part of my life now is that if I believe in something I can actually go and create it and bring it to life. Before, if I had a dream it was just an abstract fantasy, now my dreams are like plans for concrete projects.
What are you inspirations?
I've always wanted a restaurant like Mi Xiang Yuan 2.0 which is focused on good ingredients, simple homestyle cooking and every detail is well controlled but I feel like in China there are no restaurants like that. There's either fast food which sacrifices a lot in terms of flavor or venues that are too expensive and complicated. When traveling overseas I have seen many concepts that inspired Mi Xiang Yuan 2.0. I want to be like San Francisco where small restaurants that are simple, affordable and yet incredibly delicious and healthy.
How did you overcome the challenges on your path to success?
Opening a restaurant is even more challenging than most people imagine. When I encounter a difficulty, I keep my goal in mind and I'm willing to make big sacrifices to reach it. It requires multiple skills for example food costing, managing people, construction quality control, restaurant design, licensing, etc: it requires skills across many different industries. So I always try to find the right person to do the right task. I will assist them to get things done but I don't try to be a micromanager, I let a professional do what they are good at.
What do you want to accomplish in 2018?
My big plan is to open two Mi Xiang Yuan branches. I want to continue spending a lot of time with my family. I will go hunting in the US with my friends this summer. And I want to work out hard and get my six pack back!
Eason Man
Executive Chef, Eason Man is responsible for the food at newly opened, Canton Table. He has several decades of professional cooking under his belt, and knows quite a lot about fine Cantonese dining in an opulent space. You can also expect him to come out of the kitchen and greet every guest warmly.
What is your biggest professional achievement?
It will be turning a family restaurant into a Michelin recommended restaurant.
What are you inspirations?
My inspiration is centered upon my passion for food and my belief in how each dish should taste. This affects my research in developing dishes, by reflecting each ingredients special attributes while combining in a tasteful manner. Through my dishes, I hope to pleasantly surprise diners and give them a great food experience.
How did you overcome the challenges on your path to success?
I believe that learning is a never-ending process and that hard work is required to achieve success. Also, failure is a good platform to learn and build a strong personal foundation as success never comes easily.
What do you want to accomplish in 2018?
I hope to serve great dishes at Huangpuhui, a new Cantonese restaurant that will open this March. Hopefully through the menu, diners will come to appreciate and better experience traditional Cantonese food. Getting diners approval and positive feedback on my food will be my greatest joy.
Shuai Xiao Bai
Chef Shuai Xiao Bai has been executive chef at Noahs Yacht Club for seven years. His experience cooking at restaurants in Shanghai and Wuxi prepared him to take over the busy kitchen at Noahs, where they cater to an international crowd of yachting enthusiasts.
What is your biggest professional achievement?
It is the “World’s Best Chef” award that I received from the American Culinary Federation.
What are you inspirations?
I’m inspired by learning different cooking methods from my counterparts when I’m on business trips. Also, participating in a food travel program previously allowed me to better understand the Chinese cuisine and culture, and visiting high-end restaurants on a frequent basis allows me to learn about the latest food trends. Not only that, reading helps broaden my horizon, and inspires me. These, coupled with my years of working experience, allows me to challenge myself and become a better chef.
How did you overcome the challenges on your path to success?
I believe that life is imperfect, and we do not always get what we desire. However, we have to always remain calm, and believe that time heals everything.
What do you want to accomplish in 2018?
I hope to become better version of myself.
Mandela Zhu
After stints at restaurants in five star hotels such as the Peninsula and Park Hyatt, Chef Zhu ran the kitchen turning out delicious Spanish inspired dishes at his restaurant Macasa. Now he is General manager of Borage, a Western steakhouse, with event spaces for special events such as chef’s tables.
What is your biggest professional achievement?
2004 FHC (Food & Hotel China) Competition - Gold Award
2015 S.Pellegrino Young Chef Competition - Champion for China Region
2015 China Young Chef Award
2015 China New Head Chef Award
What are you inspirations?
Being Shanghainese and born in 1983, I draw inspiration from the city itself. Since it is a cosmopolitan and international city, the youth, fashion, confidence and people here inspire me. In my past 18 years making French cuisine, I firmly believe in using basic Western cooking methods in Chinese foods. I am really fortunate to be part of a generation that creates the future, and I hope that through using local ingredients, I will be able to create a dish unique to this city.
How did you overcome the challenges on your path to success?
There is nothing that can’t be resolved with a smile, and no challenge is ever too big. Even if we face business failures and losses, as long as we embrace them with a smile and learn, we will eventually achieve success. No one is ever born to knowing how to succeed.
What do you want to accomplish in 2018?
Like last year, I want to continue making good food, and live a happy life. I’m really glad that I have been in the food industry and doing food-related things this past 18 years.
Related Articles
Shanghai Superman Chefs Tell All