Q&A: For Israeli chef Asher Goldstein, there is no better way to cook than on a charcoal grill
- Chef and co-owner of restaurants Francis and Mr Brown, Asher Goldstein on the thrill of the grill
- He talks about what drew him to Hong Kong, and how even his parents had to wait for a table to eat his food
How did you get interested in cooking? “My father was a big part of it. Every Friday he would go to the market – he still does – buy ingredients and cook a family meal for eight to 15 people. He doesn’t have to cook, but he enjoys doing it. He likes going to restaurants and trying to recreate the dishes at home.
“He worked hard during the week and on his half-day off he slaved in the kitchen, but he has a passion for food. He was a mechanical engineer, building and fixing machines, and he has a creative side, always experimenting in the kitchen.
“My mum loved Fridays and Saturdays – the sabbath. The other days of the week my mother cooked for me and my three sisters; one younger, two older. We all work in F&B [food and beverage]. My grandmother had a small grill restaurant in our neighbourhood that had been open for 70 years. My father worked there as a teenager and then two of my sisters did, too, but I didn’t.”
What was the first thing you cooked? “My first time cooking was at 19 years old, grilled meatballs and cooked fresh fava beans – very simple. I never thought of cooking as a profession, I was just experimenting. My friends said they liked what I made, but I know they were being polite.
“Starting when I was around 20 years old, I did 4½ years in the navy. During my breaks I would help in the kitchen making snacks like pizza. After my military service I worked in restaurants in Tel Aviv, making simple bar food. I wanted to learn what my friends could make, as they were more advanced than me. Then I started to work in a real restaurant, coming up slowly through the ranks to eventually running the service.