Wo Ting Wai

My name is Wo Ting Wai, and I’m an Executive Chief of the Inn Side Out restaurant chain.

I was born and raised in the cosmopolitan Hong Kong. So maybe that was the reason why I didn’t have a clear vision of my professional perspectives until I was 18 years old. I was just simply searching for a job, saw an ad, and started working as a kitchen assistant.

And, as the saying goes, the appetite came to me with the eating. I realized that I loved not only to eat but also to create food. Already being an assistant to the chief in the LA Café, I started to attend cooking classes. My primitive knowledge was so not enough for me. That was the birth of my culinary ambitions. And since then, there is not a single day when I’m calmed down. I always learn, explore, and take interest. My natural passion and dedication have played a very positive role in my career.

Driven by new ideas and creations, in 1994, I became a chef at El Grande, a restaurant of American food culture.

Since then, I’ve been working there, growing and developing together with the company. And, of course, I’ve taken my experience from the best chefs. They were American and Italian chefs, amazing and highly professional people of great charisma. That’s quite impossible to include in a short interview all those funny, insightful, and sometimes even dramatic episodes of my culinary story. I can assure you there were plenty of them. They all helped me to become a real chef. Today, I run the El Grande restaurant chain (and even Mo Bros, Hong Kong Brew House, Happy Valley Bar and Grill, Hop House, Fatt’s, Slim’s, and Tequilla Jack’s bars). And I’m so insanely happy and thankful for the team of professionals with whom every day we create something truly unique.

My favorite dish is one with meat. That might be any style and cuisine. But the more I try, the more I’m convinced that American food is closest to me. Believe me, it is not limited to KFC or McDonald’s. That’s a separate culture, rich with meat and flavor. Everything is to my taste.

I leave the kitchen rather seldom. It just happened, so – I do love this business. Sometimes, friends manage to pull me out to evening get-togethers. And then, almost certainly, I relieve my feelings in karaoke. Love it a lot. I would advise the readers to work in good faith and with a clear conscience, relax well, and follow their dreams. Then everything will come out as you wish.

I’ve cooked beef ribs. That’s one of my favorite dishes, and it’s gorgeous. If cooked in a proper way, meat would be so soft that it falls off the bone.