Hong Kong’s Top Rising Culinary Stars
- Top Chef Creations showcases the city’s young restaurateurs, chefs and mixologists making waves in the industry.
- This year’s Wine & Dine Festival puts the spotlight on 15 of the city’s future leaders in the food and beverage sector.
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Sandy Keung
Sandy Keung was in finance before moving into the food and beverage sector. After 10 years in the catering business, she opened her first full-service restaurant TABLE in 2014, followed by a barbecue restaurant chain a year later. TABLE specialises in seafood with a twist. Her team decides on how to prepare a dish according to one of the ingredients. Keung calls it ingredient-based cuisine. Dishes employ French, Spanish, Mediterranean, Japanese, Chinese and Korean flavours and preparation techniques. She also has an in-house marine biologist overseeing the ozone depuration tank where live seafood such as oysters, lobsters and crabs are purged of metabolic waste, toxins and pollutants.
Junno Li
The skilled chef behind The Chinese Library is known for putting a contemporary spin on dim sum and other traditional Chinese dishes, to the delight of many diners. His reputation has grown greatly in just three years. Starting his culinary career in China, he gained experience in Cantonese, Sichuan and Shanghainese cuisines under the guidance of a master chef, who also taught Li the art of fruit and vegetable carving.
Devon Hou and Ray Choi
Devon Hou and Ray Choi have made a stir in the culinary world, as they are both executive chefs at Cobo House.
The pair create delicious contemporary dishes with an artistic presentation, working in yin-and-yang fashion where their cooking skills complement each other: arguably a first in Hong Kong.
Both chefs grew up in the city and started in the industry at an early age. They honed their skills at Michelin-starred restaurants at home and around the world, including The Mandarin Grill and L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon. Since embarking on their journey as a duo at Cobo House, they have attracted a host of foodies from across the city.
Anthony Cheung
Anthony Cheung opened his first restaurant, Casa Cucina & Bar, in Sai Ying Pun earlier this year – to much acclaim. Already a popular venue, this Italian neighbourhood eatery is a no-fuss, Venetian-inspired cicchetti bar serving up big flavours on small plates for those who wish to combine a fun and homely ambience with skilful yet authentic cooking. Getting all the elements right comes with the right experience: before Cheung helmed the kitchen at his own restaurant, he interned at two-Michelin-starred Jean-Georges in New York City. He returned to Hong Kong in 2016 and trained for the next four years under Richard Ekkebus at two-Michelin-star Amber at The Landmark, Mandarin Oriental.
Terry Ho
Terry Ho is the new chef de cuisine at The Landmark, Mandarin Oriental’s SOMM restaurant. He honed his skills as junior sous chef at Amber, which is consistently ranked as one of the best restaurants in the world. The young chef was responsible for menu development and dish creation, working closely with executive chef Richard Ekkebus. In 2019, Ho moved to L’atelier de Joel Robuchon in Taipei, then moved back to Hong Kong last year as sous chef at two-Michelin-star Arbor. Now back at The Landmark, Mandarin Oriental, he develops and creates new dishes at SOMM, and also for the in-room dining menu.
Ricky Lai
Chef Ricky Lai combines his Asian culinary heritage with his passion for fine French cuisine at his newly opened French-Asian fusion restaurant Le Vallon. He trained under some of the best chefs in the world at Frantzén in Stockholm, L’Effervescence in Tokyo and Le Petit Nice in Marseille.
Chef Yip Chi-sum
Head Chef Yip Chi-sum at PIIN Wine Restaurant worked at one-Michelin-star Fook Lam Mun for many years before becoming head chef at PIIN. He brings a new combination of cooking skills to both traditional and modern styles of Cantonese cuisine. He won bronze at the 2018 Hong Kong Chefs Competition.
Chef Kwan Kwok-tung
Chef Kwan at Nove at the Fringe previously worked at China Tang, Yung Kee and Imperial Treasure (Singapore). He trained under dim sum master chef Wong Yiu-por. As executive chef at Nove he makes exceptional dim sum.
Esther Sham
Restaurateur and chef Esther Sham at Maison Es started out with her popular private kitchen Ta Pantry before opening her French restaurant on Star Street. Her multicultural background – born in Hong Kong to a Shanghainese family and raised in the US – exposed her to myriad cuisines, and at Maison Es, she is known for her delicious French dishes.
Nikolai Smirnoff
Restaurateur and entrepreneur Nikolai Smirnoff has the magic touch, as whatever he opens seems to become a hit with customers. At just 25, he opened his third venue in Hong Kong, Graceland, a retro restaurant/bar in Mongkok. He previously opened popular Sai Kung seafront restaurants and bars Momentai and Jo San.
Jessica Chow
Jessica Chow, pastry chef and founder of Hong Kong’s first plant-based bakery Bien Caramélisé, has reinvented classics such as the éclair and mille-feuille. She travelled the world and worked in various countries to develop her style and techniques in the magical art of desserts. Her stay in Berlin piqued her interest and passion in pursuing plant-based pastries.
Juniper Wong
Pastry chef Juniper Wong of private dining and event space MOTD is a self-taught baker who attended the Culinary Institute of America. She launched her first business when just 16. Wong believes good food is important to a good life as it bridges disparities, tells stories and changes lives by drawing people together.
Navneet Kumar
S&S Hospitality’s award-winning group beverage manager Navneet Kumar is known for his creative cocktails built around concepts. His latest opening for S&S at Boticario is the cocktail combination “cures for the modern age”, with concoctions defined in categories – serendipity, sanguine, melancholy, and nostalgia. These visually striking cocktails are laced with home-made sodas, phosphates, tonics, tinctures, house infusions and craft spirits, and all are served in Insta-perfect ceramic and glass vessels.
Jake Mendoza
Jake Mendoza, assistant bar manager at the recently opened bar Kyle & Bain developed his martini and cocktail skills at Lily & Bloom and The Old Man. His bubbly personality is perfect for his work, and with an aptitude for cocktails his talent has been recognised by being named 1st runner-up in the Time Out 2020 Bar Awards – Rising Star.
Anson Wong
Star coffee roaster at Elephant Grounds, Anson Wong honed his skills for more than eight years and has won international awards. His talent led him to be ranked second in the ASCA Central Region Cup Taster Championship, and he refined his cupping skills to become 2021 Aeropress Champion Judge and a member of the 2021 Best of the Pearl (Uganda) International Jury. Wong strives to be the first to get his hands on direct-trade beans that appeal to his well-tuned taste buds.
