Tell us about your childhood. “I was born in Koblenz, Germany. My father was a German chemist and my mother is French. When I was five years old, my father committed suicide, so my mother moved my older sister and me to Strasbourg, Alsace [in France], where she had family. We had visited during the holidays, but I only spoke German so I started learning French.” How did you start cooking? “My mum opened a casual restaurant near Nice serving traditional French food. I liked to dress up, so she gave me the job of cleaning glasses at the bar, but then I got bored. One Saturday the sous chef called in sick and the head chef complained to my mother that the restaurant was full and there wasn’t enough staff. I came over and said, ‘I will help you, even wash pots.’ I was around 13 years old. “After that the chef became another person and showed me his tricks because it was in his interest to help me. From that point on I was excited to become a chef. I was always excited to see the kitchen – the speed, the stress – and being German I like being very organised. After that I helped my mother in the kitchen on the weekends until I went to culinary school. “Another person who helped me was my stepfather, who was a gourmet. He knew I liked cooking and told me to do the best that I can do. When I was 14 years old, he told me about the Michelin guide and that I should work for Michelin-starred restaurants to learn good skills.” Meet the man who has tried every three-Michelin-starred restaurant, almost What was it like working in these restaurants? “I alternated between two weeks of culinary school and two weeks in the restaurant. There were 25 to 30 people in the kitchen, all dressed like in the army. I started at 6.30am and finished past midnight. I never argued with the chef because I saw others who complained and he would pull out a stack of CVs from his drawer to show them they could be replaced. “For my first three jobs I never asked about my salary, I just wanted to work there for the fame of the restaurant and what they could teach me. My first proper salary, when I was 15 years old, was about HK$2,000 a month and I gave half of it to my mum. It was hard work but I liked it. I was quite mature at the time, my friends wanted to go out and party, but I was not interested. “I owe chef Jean-Yves Leuranguer a lot. I worked for him in Cannes at Hotel Martinez for two years. He was happy with me and asked where I wanted to work next and I said Alsace, my hometown. He made a call and then told me the next month to start work there. From then on I never had to prepare a CV. He called chefs and ensured I got a higher salary and more responsibility.” Where did you get your first Michelin star? “When I was 26 years old, I wanted to be my own chef. I was in Paris at the time. I could either become head chef of a small Paris restaurant, or try to do my own thing in the countryside. I decided on the latter when an Englishman [Clive Cummings] bought Abbaye de la Bussière, in Burgundy, and refurbished it as a hotel. He wanted Michelin stars for the restaurant. “It had an existing kitchen for the nuns, but he didn’t have time to renovate it, though I could buy the equipment I needed. If I was able to get a star, he would renovate the kitchen. He thought it would take two or three years, but 10 months later I got a star. He was shocked it was so fast, but kept his word and fixed the kitchen. I was 27 years old and felt very proud. I have met chefs who are 50 years old and are still chasing stars.” My preconception of Hong Kong was those Jackie Chan movies, but it looked like New York with high-rise buildings, very modern, very efficient Olivier Elzer How did you end up in Hong Kong? “In 2009, Pierre Gagnaire contacted me about Pierre, in the Mandarin Oriental Hong Kong. He wanted me to be the chef there because the restaurant only had one star and the management wanted two stars otherwise the contract would be terminated. I had worked for Pierre Gagnaire in Paris as a commis chef and he saw what I did in Burgundy and knew I was pushing for two stars. “I arrived in May 2009 and was shocked. My preconception of Hong Kong was those Jackie Chan movies, but it looked like New York with high-rise buildings, very modern, very efficient. I met the chef at the time, Philippe Orrico, and I liked the restaurant right away. “In 2010 I got two stars for Pierre Gagnaire and two years later I was approached by Joël Robuchon to help L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon get three stars. The owner, Alan Ho Yau-lun, had three stars in Macau and wanted three stars in Hong Kong. At the time it was a big challenge because none of the L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon locations had ever gotten three stars and Robuchon wanted to keep this concept going. I got him three stars the following year.” What did you learn from Robuchon? “I was with him for almost four years and I loved working for him. He was hard, but fair. He opened L’Atelier in 2003 in Tokyo, a new concept combining Japanese teppanyaki cooking style with Spanish tapas portions and French technique. “Back in the day, French chefs had too much ego, using only French ingredients. But at Robuchon we used uni from Hokkaido, caviar from China, beef from Australia or Japan. He had his classic dishes that were over 20 years old, but he was always looking to modernise.” How did Seasons by Olivier E come about? “Hysan [the owners] wanted to open a casual restaurant then a fine-dining one. We set up Seasons with no Michelin-star expectations. The first few menus were simple French food, but people who knew me from Robuchon expected fine dining. So I adjusted the menu and [in 2015] after one year of opening I got a Michelin star. After two years I was eager to open my fine-dining restaurant, but by this point Lau Siu-chuen [the CEO of Hysan Development] had resigned and he had supported Seasons and my project. There was no future for me there. I wasn’t upset, but I had to move on.” Why did you join St Regis in 2018? “I was in Shanghai when my friend called saying the Marriott management were eating at Seasons that night and wanted to meet me. I flew back that morning. It was a Sunday and that evening three gentlemen in suits came to dine. Afterwards they showed me the kitchen plans for the St Regis and asked if I could get them three Michelin stars. I said a lot of things in the kitchen needed to be changed. “I worked with [interior designer] André Fu; he’s very talented and open-minded. At L’Envol we have space for 100 seats, but we only seat 50 to have space between the tables. As André says, it’s a luxury to have space in Hong Kong. After eight months we got a Michelin star and we are pushing hard for our second.”