Chefs in Asia

When a hobby becomes the profession it is commonly treated as life success. I do not feel like I am the most successful man in the world. But one of the happiest I should say. My name is Alvin Leung and I am a happy chef. I was born in foggy London. Rather known for its grey weather and grumpy people. Where the most elegant dish is a porcelain plate of oat porridge. It is only half truth, of course. Although my dearest mother did not cook thus I was climbing the kitchen mountains all by myself.

My name is Francisco Pazos. I am in charge of Le Chef Restaurant kitchen in Metropark Hotel, Wanchai Hong Kong. And although I was born quite far away from here – in beautiful Spain in 1975 – my heart was stolen by the East. Passion for cooking wasn't a sudden discovery or sign for me. I steadily developed sincere love, respect and curiosity. As a child, I was always with my grandma. I followed her to the market, participated in the conversations about products, dishes and recipes. Together we created lunches and dinners, made semi-products and collected necessary herbs. Unwittingly, I started not only to know but also to feel. This motivated me to connect my fortune with kitchen.

Is bread the staff of life? Bread is a gift and essence of nature. My name is Gregoire Michaud, I'm a master of brown crusts and aromatic pastry. I was born in 1975, and was surrounded by nature from my very childhood. And not with a garden, but with original beautiful and mighty trees, flowers and smells. My family still keeps a prosperous farm in Switzerland and grows products and grapes there. My mother became my teacher in cooking. I was inspired by her example, followed her advice and kept breaking conventional rules. I'm sure she was secretly proud of my freethinking. Although proper doughing, choice of flour and the magic of bread crafting in general is a very conservative business.

My name is Anahit Sargysian, and I know every item on the menu of Yerevan restaurant The Club. I know what every sauce is cooked of, what spices are added to lamb shank and how your plate is supposed to look. I am a chef at The Club - a place with Armenian and French cuisine and something else. I was born in Yerevan, a city of rosy and creamy colours, in the family of office workers. When I was a child, I used to spend a lot of time with my granny in a small city with not very poetic name, but with extremely poetic landscapes - Goris.

My name is Pino Lavarra and I am happy to do the things I do. I lead the kitchen in the legendary Ritz-Carlton in wonderful Hong-Kong. My family comes from the Southern Italy. It is a sunny piece of Earth with hospitable people and bright colors. I was surrounded by friends, family and nature. This cocktail taught me to love life, enjoy its treasures and share my inner world with them. My mom was a true Italian mom you might have seen in old films. She cooked as if sang an amazing song. And each time it was a new story. I percepted every single move she made, every ingredient she used and even the prayers she whispered. Probably that is why I am a chef of a super restaurant. Who knows.

My name is Ruben Pogosyan. There are lots of connoisseurs of Armenian cuisine, but there are not so many real ones. I’m sure, there are few people whose knowledge and skills are as extensive in Armenian gastronomy as mine. I believe people should share their knowledge, that’s why I present the results of my work in Tufenkian hotels. I’m brand-chef of the restaurants in the hotel network.

My name is Luca de Berarnidis and I am a designer haute-cuisine! My parents are creative people. Their lives were totally devoted to art and blowing an extraordinary soul into everyday things. Yes, they are designers. But I made my first steps in kitchen and cooking with my grand-parents. They are farmers. White-haired and wet-eyed they welcome me into a world of nature. And I’ve stayed there forever. What a wonderful childhood I had! With all those garden trees, harvest gatherings and funny stories my grandpa used to tell me in the evening. Too nostalgic for such a young man? Noway!

Take a breath. Take a deep breath. You can not resist the blowing fresh air Yerevan covers you with. Armenian spirit will never abandon you once you’ve met its endless horizons, cloudy mountains and hospitable people. Born in picturesque Yerevan, I am holding tightly my motherland language, culture and sense of humor. I am Edgar Yeganyan, now heading the cuisine at “Charles”. I may confidently state I am far from being a typical cook. I am young, fit and do not keep the secrets of my success. I am what I am and happy to share a piece of my mood. I do feed them as my best friends, stuffing the meals with positive emotions and love.

My name is Jaakko Sorsa. I’m a typical Finlander that every morning cheerfully goes to work in Hong-Kong. And I’m also an Executive Chef at Nordic FINDS restaurant & bar, but there are much more interesting things you can learn about me. My Homeland is Finland. I spent my childhood in the area called ‘Finnish Lakeland’. The name alone evokes a range of associations and fantasies related to nature. It was in Kuopio where I felt the reality. I felt nature and culinary and I will never forget those feelings. Fishing, foraging, obtaining wild game from hunters. Nordic life as it is.

I was born and grew up in the city of Alma-Ata, Kazakhstan. I spent my childhood in a sunny, high mountain city, surrounded by apple gardens of Zailiyskiy Alatau. Smell of apple blossom, taste of melt water from mountain springs and roaring wind in mountain gorges made me strive for beauty my whole life. Combination of traditions and cuisines of the multinational region have been attracting me since I was a child. The brightest memories from my childhood are smell of my mother’s baking and cooking national pilaf and unique manti together with my father.