When did you start cooking? “I was born and raised in Macau, and one of my uncles had a cha chaan teng (a cafe serving Western-style dishes). When I was 13 years old, I started helping out on weekends. I made drinks like coffee and tea, sandwiches and stir-fried beef and noodles. Cooking was interesting to me then and it still is today.” How did you get into restaurants? “Professionally, I started in the restaurant industry when I was just a month shy of my 18th birthday, in 1991. I was not academically minded, so my parents suggested I go to vocational school and learn to be a cook, car mechanic or plane mechanic. “I had a friend I grew up with who became a cook in Hong Kong and he got me a job. My parents said it would be better for me to go to Hong Kong to learn to be a chef because there were more opportunities there. My first job was at Maxim’s at City Hall for two years. I started at the bottom, cracking eggs and washing vegetables. After we finished for the day, I washed the floor and cleaned the woks.” Where else did you work? “I worked in a seafood restaurant in Kowloon City, where I was promoted to prepare ingredients for each chef, from appetisers to main dishes. I had to make sure I was on top of everything. In 1993, I started working at the Sheraton Hong Kong Hotel & Towers, going back to Maxim’s Group to be in the chopping section, then in 2003 I moved to a new restaurant called Shark’s Fin City Restaurant, which was in Times Square. “In 2004, I was in the opening team for Ming Court, in Langham Place [now Cordis Hong Kong], with master chef Tsang Chiu-king . I was there for 12 years, starting as a small wok chef and working my way up to executive sous chef. I made all kinds of dishes, from simple to complicated.” How did you get to the Grand Hyatt Hong Kong? “In 2016, I got an opportunity to work in Macau, at Hotel Lisboa’s traditional Cantonese restaurant, Portas do Sol. For me it was a chance to finally work professionally in my hometown, which was exciting. But only a few months after starting the job, there was an opening at the Grand Hyatt Hong Kong. It was an opportunity I couldn’t miss. “Last year I had the chance to reunite with my master chef Tsang when he opened Ming Court Wanchai . I worked with him for seven months before returning to the Grand Hyatt Hong Kong. I was happy to come back as Chinese executive chef. The style of food here suits me – it’s not very fusion. I now get to apply my almost 30 years of experience here.” What did you learn from the previous Chinese executive chef, Li Shu-tim? “Chef Tim taught me about the restaurant and the staff because he had been here for so long. Some of the cooks retired, so I brought along my own cooks. It was important for both the old and new staff to get along. Chef Tim hired people who are cooperative and not difficult to work with. “When I first arrived, he was more in the dining area while I did the cooking. My style of food is similar to his. He also introduced me to our customers, and explained this restaurant is my stage to perform. I have kept his signature dishes, like slow-cooked chicken with Chinese yam and wolfberries aged in fa du rice wine, and double-boiled papaya soup with crabmeat, chicken, roast duck and mushrooms. He passed away in July.” Which dishes do you like to cook? “I like to cook bird’s nest and abalone. You have to put in effort because they are expensive ingredients. I like to cook seafood, these days using sustainable seafood, and I make sure to use every part, including the lobster head to make a sauce.” What do you do when you’re not working? “I usually go running, and these days I have been cooking more at home. Before I didn’t like to do it because of the thought of having to wash dishes after. But now with the coronavirus pandemic, it’s not too difficult to cook, and I make simple dishes like steamed fish, pork chops with rice, stir-fry tomato and egg, or prawns.”