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Profile | From opening 1,200 oysters a day to opening a restaurant in Melbourne to heading the kitchen at Ho Lee Fook in Hong Kong, a chef’s journey

ArChan Chan Kit-ying, head chef at Chinese restaurant Ho Lee Fook in Hong Kong, recalls a ‘crazy’ internship and a job in Australia where chefs quit mid-shift

Working for former M at the Fringe chef Andrew McConnell, she opened a Chinese restaurant in Melbourne, then worked at Level 33 in Marina Bay, Singapore

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ArChan Chan Kit-ying is the head chef of Ho Lee Fook. She talks about making a mark in Melbourne and why she came back to Hong Kong. Photo: Xiaomei Chen

Published: 12:45pm, 15 Mar 2022Updated: 3:56pm, 1 Jun 2022

“I grew up in the Prince Edward/Sham Shui Po area because my parents were in the textile industry. We lived with my paternal grandparents, and my grandmother made dishes like steamed minced pork, lo sui chicken wings, steamed chicken with golden needle vegetables, and soup that had simmered for hours.

“I didn’t want to be a chef at the time; I liked reading psychology books, talking to people and counselling. But if I wanted to study psychology, I had to be a top student and I was nowhere near. What I picked up from these books, however, was ‘do what you love to do’.”

When did cooking become a career option?

“I asked my secondary-school teacher if there was a subject related to food because I love to eat. He told me about a subject called catering at Polytechnic University. So I studied catering, hotels and tourism, as well as marketing, human resources, finance and kitchen work. One of the professors, Jack Kivela, was passionate about cooking and taught about cuisines from different countries.

Prawn roe noodles at Ho Lee Fook. Photo: Ho Lee Fook

“Most of my classmates were female, but not a lot of them had kitchen experience. When we had to take things out of the oven, they would complain it was very hot, so I would do it. I think Jack started to see my interest in cooking. For my one-year internship, only I and one guy out of 300 hospitality students chose a kitchen placement.

“The JW Marriott HR manager asked if I was sure I wanted to work in the kitchen because it was hard work. My answer was: ‘To be honest, I don’t know, that’s why I’m here, to find out if it is only an interest or if I can stand the hard work.’ I worked in the kitchens for buffet, lounge, Chinese and banquet.”

How did it go?

“My first job was opening oysters for the buffet. I think I opened 100 dozen oysters a day and had to do it fast. After the first month, my hand was so sore I couldn’t even hold a doorknob and twist it. But I liked what I was doing.