Chinese chefs are like musicians who can’t compose, says Jayson Tang – ‘we aren’t creative either’
- The 34-year-old executive chef at Man Ho Chinese Restaurant laments the lack of what he calls ‘a proper training system’ for Chinese cuisine
- That hasn’t stopped his restaurant earning its first Michelin star, which he celebrated with tears in his eyes and a fist bump
How do you envision improving Chinese cuisine? “Chinese cuisine doesn’t have a proper training system. We in the industry should have ideas of how to prepare young people. In Chinese kitchens it’s a master chef and apprentice relationship, so it’s limited in training many people. We aren’t creative either: a Chinese chef is like a musician who can play music, but can’t compose.
“People know dishes like Peking duck and sweet and sour pork, but we should have others, too. [The late French chef] Joël Robuchon could open restaurants around the world and make French cuisine in his own style, and diners would accept it. Why not the same with Chinese fine dining?”
How did you get into cooking? “When I was 10 years old I saw how hard my parents worked at their dai pai dong so I felt compelled to help out. I washed dishes and brought food to customers. I could hold four cups of hot milk tea in one hand. By the time I was a teenager I was working on the weekends, making HK$100 each Saturday and Sunday.