{"id":1007580,"date":"2025-05-14T23:44:05","date_gmt":"2025-05-15T06:44:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chineserestaurantawards.com\/septstaging\/?p=1007580"},"modified":"2025-05-14T23:44:05","modified_gmt":"2025-05-15T06:44:05","slug":"a-life-in-full-flame-three-master-chefs-and-the-spirit-of-devotion","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chineserestaurantawards.com\/septstaging\/a-life-in-full-flame-three-master-chefs-and-the-spirit-of-devotion\/","title":{"rendered":"A Life in Full Flame: Three Master Chefs and the Spirit of Devotion"},"content":{"rendered":"
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A Life in Full Flame:<\/h2><\/div>
Three Master Chefs and the Spirit of Devotion<\/div><\/div>[vc_empty_space][vc_column_text css_animation=”fadeInUp” css=””]2025. May 14. INSIGHTS<\/p>\n

\u2212<\/p>\n

They\u2019re not cooking to follow trends, nor are they simply preserving heritage. What drives them is something deeper, more singular: the relentless pursuit of a perfect dish.<\/p>\n

In a time when speed and virality often outweigh substance, how many still choose to dedicate their lives to a single path\u2014ten, twenty years or more\u2014not for fame or fortune, but because of a fire that never burns out?<\/p>\n

These chefs are more than cooks; they are craftsmen. They spend a lifetime mastering a single plate\u2014repeating, refining, questioning, and always pushing forward. Their skill is earned through sweat, their philosophy shaped by the flame, their lives marked by an unwavering sense of purpose. It\u2019s not a choice so much as a calling.<\/p>\n

This is the story of three master chefs\u2014each from a different background, but all converging in Hong Kong, where their devotion to Chinese cuisine burns bright. They aren\u2019t just wielding woks over high heat; they are explorers, pursuing the ever-expanding frontier of Chinese gastronomy.<\/p>\n[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space][vc_separator color=”white” el_width=”70″ css=””][vc_empty_space height=”60px”][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1\/2″][vc_single_image image=”1007584″ img_size=”full” style=”vc_box_rounded” css_animation=”fadeIn” css=””][vc_empty_space][\/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1\/2″]

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Chan Yau-Leung | The Fighter\u2019s Flame<\/h2><\/div><\/div>[vc_column_text css=””]Before he was a chef, Chan Yau-Leung<\/strong> was a boxer. The discipline, rhythm, and intensity of the ring eventually translated into his mastery of Cantonese cuisine. With a career spanning top-tier establishments such as Fook Lam Moon and Guo Fu Lau, today he leads a youthful, energetic brigade at Duddell<\/strong>\u2019s\u2014a space where culture and cuisine meet in the heart of Central.<\/p>\n

Meeting Chef Chan, one immediately senses the gravitas of his food\u2014solid, polished, confident. But what leaves an even deeper impression is the atmosphere in his kitchen: three of his lead chefs are barely in their thirties, and yet there\u2019s no hierarchy in tone, no sense of distance. Chan isn\u2019t a chef who leads by command; he leads through trust and craft.[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column_inner][\/vc_row_inner][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1\/2″][vc_column_text css=””]\n

That day, he presented his signature \u201cCrystal Prawn with Chicken Broth<\/strong>\u201d\u2014a dish refined over more than two decades. Vietnamese jumbo prawns are transformed with fine knife work into translucent, blossoming forms. The broth, extracted from mature chicken slow-boiled in a traditional clay pot, is milky, rich, and resonant with umami. The prawns are gently poached in hot oil, locking in a sweetness that\u2019s layered and pure.<\/p>\n

\u201cPerfection,\u201d he says, \u201cisn\u2019t about flair. It\u2019s about mastering every detail.\u201d One could say the same of him.<\/p>\n[\/vc_column_text][vc_btn title=”Watch Reel” style=”custom” custom_background=”#4387fb” custom_text=”#ffffff” align=”left” css_animation=”fadeIn” css=”” link=”url:https%3A%2F%2Fwww.instagram.com%2Fchineserestaurantawards%2Freel%2FDEv_kN_JFUi%2F|target:_blank”][vc_empty_space][\/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1\/2″][vc_single_image image=”1007590″ img_size=”full” style=”vc_box_rounded” css_animation=”fadeIn” css=””][\/vc_column_inner][\/vc_row_inner][vc_empty_space height=”60px”][vc_separator color=”custom” el_width=”40″ css=”” accent_color=”#4387fb”][vc_empty_space height=”60px”][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1\/2″][vc_single_image image=”1007585″ img_size=”full” style=”vc_box_rounded” css_animation=”fadeIn” css=””][vc_empty_space][\/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1\/2″]

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Li Chi-Wai | The Soul of Aged Tangerine Peel<\/h2><\/div><\/div>[vc_column_text css=””]\n

Few chefs know how to cook with time. Li Chi-Wai<\/strong>, Executive Chinese Chef at The Legacy House<\/strong> at Rosewood Hong Kong<\/strong>, is one of them.<\/p>\n

Best known for his deep passion for chenpi<\/strong>\u2014the prized aged tangerine peel from Xinhui<\/strong>\u2014Chef Li has elevated this traditional ingredient into a centrepiece of haute Cantonese cuisine. For most diners, chenpi might conjure images of medicine drawers or congee shops, but to Chef Li, it is an aromatic archive, a link to childhood, and a symbol of patience and age.<\/p>\n[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column_inner][\/vc_row_inner][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1\/2″][vc_column_text css=””]\n

Born and raised in Xinhui, Li grew up surrounded by the scent and stories of chenpi. Today, he curates tasting menus showcasing chenpi of different vintages, allowing diners to savour the passage of time through flavour. In our meeting, he brought out a selection of peels\u2014some over two decades old\u2014each with distinct fragrance, colour, and history.<\/p>\n

One standout dish was the \u201cDeep-fried Duck, Mashed Taro and 24-year-old Chenpi<\/strong>.\u201d The taro was silky and weightless, the duck meat infused with the natural aroma of chenpi, brought a lingering warmth that tied the entire dish together.<\/p>\n

While some refer to aged chenpi as \u201cgold that grows on trees,\u201d for Li, it is a memory\u2014a scent of home, of heritage, and of something worth sharing with the world.<\/p>\n[\/vc_column_text][vc_btn title=”Watch Reel” style=”custom” custom_background=”#4387fb” custom_text=”#ffffff” align=”left” css_animation=”fadeIn” css=”” link=”url:https%3A%2F%2Fwww.instagram.com%2Fchineserestaurantawards%2Freel%2FDGkAHrex0B4%2F|target:_blank”][vc_empty_space][\/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1\/2″][vc_single_image image=”1007589″ img_size=”full” style=”vc_box_rounded” css_animation=”fadeIn” css=””][\/vc_column_inner][\/vc_row_inner][vc_empty_space height=”60px”][vc_separator color=”custom” el_width=”40″ css=”” accent_color=”#4387fb”][vc_empty_space height=”60px”][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1\/2″][vc_single_image image=”1007586″ img_size=”full” style=”vc_box_rounded” css_animation=”fadeIn” css=””][vc_empty_space][\/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1\/2″]

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Zhen Liu | Ningbo Flavours, Global Stage<\/h2><\/div><\/div>[vc_column_text css=””]\n

Chef Zhen Liu<\/strong> doesn\u2019t talk about mentorships, but his dedication to passing down skill is evident in every move. Trained in a military culinary academy, he built his foundation on discipline and technique\u2014qualities that now anchor his role as head chef at the Hong Kong outpost of Yong Fu.<\/p>\n

Originally founded in Shanghai, Yong Fu<\/strong> has become one of the most respected fine-dining Chinese restaurants, known for its rigorous treatment of Ningbo cuisine\u2014a refined play of saltiness and umami, or xian<\/em>. In Hong Kong, Chef Liu continues that mission, adapting local ingredients to craft dishes that are faithful yet forward-looking.<\/p>\n[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column_inner][\/vc_row_inner][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1\/2″][vc_column_text css=””]\n

He thrives on the city\u2019s culinary crosscurrents. \u201cThe best part of working here,\u201d he says, \u201cis the mutual respect among chefs\u2014people value originality and honour each other\u2019s creativity.\u201d<\/p>\n

Chef Liu\u2019s precision recalls the Japanese ideal of issho kenmei \u4e00\u6240\u61f8\u547d <\/em><\/strong>\u2014a life committed wholly to one thing. He prefers simple relationships and honest work, and he strives to present Ningbo flavours in their purest, most expressive form.<\/p>\n

His signature king crab two-ways is a perfect example. Though king crab is not native to Ningbo, it\u2019s a prized delicacy in Hong Kong. Drawing inspiration from typhoon shelter-style crab, Chef Liu reinterprets it through a Ningbo lens. One version is stewed king crab leg with minced pork and Ningbo-style soybean paste<\/strong>; the other, wok-fried king crab with bamboo shoots and preserved vegetables<\/strong>. One dish is soft and savoury, the other bright and briny\u2014together, they exemplify a harmony of innovation and tradition.<\/p>\n[\/vc_column_text][vc_btn title=”Watch Reel” style=”custom” custom_background=”#4387fb” custom_text=”#ffffff” align=”left” css_animation=”fadeIn” css=”” link=”url:https%3A%2F%2Fwww.instagram.com%2Fp%2FDF9WUxuSrI4%2F|target:_blank”][vc_empty_space][\/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1\/2″][vc_single_image image=”1007592″ img_size=”full” style=”vc_box_rounded” css_animation=”fadeIn” css=””][vc_empty_space][vc_single_image image=”1007594″ img_size=”full” style=”vc_box_rounded” css_animation=”fadeIn” css=””][\/vc_column_inner][\/vc_row_inner][vc_empty_space height=”60px”][vc_separator color=”custom” el_width=”40″ css=”” accent_color=”#4387fb”][vc_empty_space height=”60px”][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1\/3″]

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Three Flames, One Devotion<\/h2><\/div><\/div>[\/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”2\/3″][vc_column_text css_animation=”fadeInUp” css=””]In the hands of these chefs, Chinese cuisine is not just preserved\u2014it\u2019s alive, evolving, and deeply personal. They may have taken different paths, from boxing gyms and herbal farms to military kitchens, but they converge in their belief that excellence isn\u2019t achieved overnight. It is earned, over a lifetime, through sweat, humility, and a fire that never goes out.[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column_inner][\/vc_row_inner][vc_empty_space height=”100px”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row]\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space][vc_column_text css_animation=”fadeInUp” css=””]2025. May 14. INSIGHTS \u2212 They\u2019re not cooking to follow trends, nor are they simply preserving heritage. What drives them is something deeper, more singular: the relentless pursuit of a perfect dish. In a time when speed and virality often outweigh substance, how many still choose to dedicate their lives to a single […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1007596,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[8,3],"tags":[1460,1475,1338,1459,1474,1473,1472,1470,1476,1471,1339,1477,1478],"class_list":["post-1007580","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-critics-insights","category-news","tag-cantonese-cuisine","tag-duddells","tag-hong-kong","tag-hong-kong-chef","tag-rosewood-hong-kong","tag-the-legacy-house","tag-yongfu","tag-1470","tag-1476","tag-1471","tag-1339","tag-1477","tag-1478"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chineserestaurantawards.com\/septstaging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1007580","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/chineserestaurantawards.com\/septstaging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/chineserestaurantawards.com\/septstaging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chineserestaurantawards.com\/septstaging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chineserestaurantawards.com\/septstaging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1007580"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/chineserestaurantawards.com\/septstaging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1007580\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chineserestaurantawards.com\/septstaging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1007596"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chineserestaurantawards.com\/septstaging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1007580"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chineserestaurantawards.com\/septstaging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1007580"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chineserestaurantawards.com\/septstaging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1007580"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}