Wo Ting Wai started as a kitchen assistant at 18 and became chef at El Grande in 1994. Today he is executive chef of the Inn Side Out restaurant chain in Hong Kong and feels closest to American food.
My name is Wo Ting Wai, and I'm the executive chef of the Inn Side Out restaurant chain. I was born and raised in cosmopolitan Hong Kong. Maybe that's why I had no clear vision of my professional prospects until I was 18. I was simply looking for a job, saw an ad and started working as a kitchen assistant.
And, as the saying goes, appetite comes with eating. I realized that I loved creating food as much as eating it. While working as the chef's assistant at LA Café, I started attending cooking classes, because my basic knowledge was nowhere near enough for me.
That was the birth of my culinary ambitions, and since then there hasn't been a single day when I have been at rest. I keep learning, exploring and taking an 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 chef at El Grande, a restaurant of American food culture. I've been working there ever since, growing and developing together with the company. And, of course, I learned from the best chefs, American and Italian, amazing and highly professional people with great charisma.
It's impossible to fit into a short interview all the funny, insightful and sometimes even dramatic episodes of my culinary story, and 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 the Mo Bros, Hong Kong Brew House, Happy Valley Bar and Grill, Hop House, Fatt's, Slim's and Tequila Jack's bars. And I'm insanely happy and thankful for the team of professionals with whom we create something truly unique every day.
My favorite dish is one with meat, in any style and any cuisine. But the more I try, the more convinced I am that American food is closest to me. Believe me, it isn't limited to KFC or McDonald's: it's a separate culture, rich in meat and flavor, and everything about it is to my taste.
I leave the kitchen rather seldom. That's just how it turned out, because I truly love this business. Sometimes friends manage to drag me out to evening get-togethers, and then I almost certainly let off steam at karaoke, which I love a lot.
I would advise readers to work in good faith and with a clear conscience, to rest well and to follow their dreams. Then everything will turn out the way you want.
I've cooked beef ribs, one of my favorite dishes, and a gorgeous one. If cooked properly, the meat is so tender that it falls off the bone.
