In association with

In the build up to The Staff Canteen Live 2017 - supported by Westlands, at the International Food and Drink Event (IFE) 2017, we are taking a closer look at the chefs who will be joining us on stage.

We dig a little deeper to find out what they are hiding under those chef whites – next up is Andrew Wong, head chef and owner of A Wong which has 3 rosettes in the AA Restaurant Guide.

Andrew Wong is head chef and owner of A Wong, the restaurant at the forefront of refining Chinese cuisine.

In his youth, Andrew helped in the kitchen of his parents’ Chinese restaurant but had no interest in pursuing a culinary career. Instead, Andrew studied at Oxford and then London School of Economics, until he returned to the family business after his father’s death. He soon realised his passion for cooking and began training at Westminster culinary school.

After his training, Andrew travelled to China to attend the Sichuan’s culinary institute and worked in kitchens across China’s different regions learning different Chinese cooking techniques and recipes. He returned in 2012 to reopen his family’s restaurant as A Wong. Since then, the restaurant has earned 3 AA Rosettes and praise from Pierre Koffmann and Albert Adria.

What item of food do you hate cooking?

Nothing really.

What food, if any, are you allergic to?

None that I know of.

What’s your favourite ingredient to work with?

Eggs, I love chinese eggs.

What’s your guilty pleasure food?

Instant noodles.

What three ingredients would you take with you to a desert island and why?

Salt, eggs and flour because they are massively versatile and ultimately we need them to survive.

If you weren’t a chef what would you be?

If I wasn’t a chef I would have loved to have been a golfer.

>>> Read more in The Behind The Chef series here

What radio station do you listen to in the kitchen?

We don’t listen to anything in the kitchen.

What other kitchen would you most like to work in?

There’s a few actually. Albert Adria, The Eight in Macau and Pierre Gagnaire in Paris.

Traditional cooking methods or modern techniques?

Traditional, I say that because more than half of it is about the actual food and the other half is about the history and treasuring of the technique.

Why did you choose to get involved with TSC Live?

Because the PR got in contact and said I need to! Only joking. It’s about getting out of the kitchen and meeting other people in the industry and getting a feel for what they’re up to. It’s also about making myself feel better knowing that loads of other people are having the same problems I go through every day and we’re all still alive and we’re all still laughing about it and following our passion.

>>> IFE takes place on March 19-22, 2017 and you can register now here 

>>> Read more about The Staff Canteen Live here

>>> Read more about The Staff Canteen Live 2017 at IFE