Presidential Chefs

A room filled with designer shoes? A chauffeur-driven limousine? A supermodel on each arm? No, we can’t all enjoy the perks of our high-profile counterparts, but at least we can enjoy food created by their favorite chefs.

Pang Gaofa
Former residential chef of China’s previous president Jiang Zemin
Yangzhou native Pang cooked for former Chinese president Jiang Zemin and his wife at their residence for three years. He remembers that the former president—also from Yangzhou—was very nice, despite the fact that he was the most powerful man in China at that time. “When he was happy, he would ask me to eat with him and his wife. And sometimes he would ask his guards to help me clean up. I was really touched.” As for his dining habits, the former leader has to eat five times a day. He especially loves Pang’s special: double-boiled pork ball in supreme soup, Yanzhou-style. “I finely chop the meat into small pieces instead of mincing it with a meat grinder. Try it once and you’ll be able to tell the difference.” Pang is now popular with many celebrities and politicians. He even cooked for Rita Fan’s Legco farewell banquet.
Shanghai Lu Yan Cun Restaurant, 11/F, World Trade Centre, 280 Gloucester Rd., Causeway Bay, 2881-6669/2890-9298

Lee Yuk-lam
Former catering chef for Hong Kong’s rich and famous
Lee Yuk-lam goes by another name: “Tycoon’s private chef.” He was the head chef at Hang Seng Bank for 30 years, and after his retirement, catered for the rich and famous. He’s now working at Cuisine Cuisine as master
chef because the head of the Miramar Group is a big fan of his traditional Chinese delicacies. His braised assorted snake soup is everybody’s favorite—he really does use the meat of five different kinds of snakes, and he strictly follows the traditional soup-making method that has been passed down from ancient times.
Cuisine Cuisine, Shop 3101, IFC Mall, 8 Finance St., Central, 2393-3933

Jackson Sung
Former chef of former Chinese premier Li Peng
Chef Jackson Sung is no stranger to celebrity. Notable figures who have sampled his dishes include Lien Chan, ex-chairman of the Kuomintang and ex–Chinese Premier Li Peng, when he worked for a restaurant owned by Deng Xiaoping’s daughter, Deng Lin. “There’s not much difference between the tastes of everyday people and celebrities, but when I worked in Beijing, I found that senior government officials like mayors or province heads would prefer strong flavors and expensive ingredients. Li Peng’s favorite was braised lobster with superior butter sauce,” he recalls. “And of course, security was a big issue. When I cooked for Lien Chan, soldiers came to the restaurant and inspected every corner. They would monitor the whole cooking process and had me eat a bit of every dish I cooked to make sure that I didn’t poison it. Samples would be taken from the dish just in case things went wrong so they could examine it.”
Wing Hing Chiu Chow Cuisine, Shop G4-G5, Wing Tak Mansion, 15 Canal Rd. West, Wan Chai, 3580-7093

Dennis Wong
Former chef of Singapore’s last prime minister Goh Chok-dong
Chef Wong ran a Vietnamese restaurant in San Francisco and has served former Singapore Prime Minister Goh Chok-dong and the San Francisco mayor. And just like Sung, he was subjected to a series of security checks. “I received a call saying that Prime Minister Goh would be arriving in 15 minutes and that a team would arrive to carry out a security check.” The “team” consisted of a number of FBI agents, who checked out the restaurant layout and back alley, just before the prime minister and his wife arrived with 10 bodyguards. “The dishes they appreciated the most were the pho and spring rolls,” Wong recalls.
Le Soleil, The Royal Garden, 69 Mody Rd., Tsim Sha Tsui, 2721-5215

Yik Wai-yong
Former residential chef for The Philippines’ former president Ferdinand Marcos
Chef Yik, or “Yong Gor” as he’s also known, has an exceptional background. He fled to the Philippines to avoid debts and ended up working for former President Ferdinand Marcos as his resident chef for 10 years. What does he think of the former leader who some refer to as a tyrant? “I only got to see him for the first time after I’d worked there for a year. I didn’t dare look up—he had a sort of deathly aura surrounding him,“ he says. “I was just an employee, so his reputation didn’t matter to me. But I was really surprised that one time he gave us 3 million pesos in cash (about $1 million) as a tip, just because the notes were old and dirty and he didn’t want to use them.” Marcos is allergic to MSG and dislikes dishes that are too salty, so Yong Gor always uses minimum amounts of seasoning to bring out the true flavor of food. Marcos’ favorite dishes included stir-fried scallop and broccoli, deep-fried ribs in salad dressing, roasted ribs made according to a secret family recipe, and a soup said to enhance a man’s sexual performance (be sure to order in advance).
Yong Kee Restaurant, 108-112 Fuk Wah St., Sham Shui Po, 2387-1051