Led by a passion for all things artisanal, the feted chef aims to complete his project in Kanazawa, located two hours by train from Kyoto, by mid-June 2020
It has been two years since chef André Chiang shocked the culinary world with news that he would be closing his eponymous two Michelin-starred restaurant in Singapore. But as surprising and even heartbreaking as it was for both his team and fans of Chiang’s uniquely progressive style of cuisine, it was a decision the revered chef and entrepreneur needed to make.
“I’m happy right now, even happier than those days behind the kitchen of Restaurant André,” a noticeably relaxed Chiang tells us recently. His days are now filled with purposeful travels—to learn more about the world’s diverse food culture; mentor the chefs of the André Chiang Global (ACG) group who work for restaurants such as Porte 12 in Paris; and run several new concepts in China including The Bridge in Chengdu and Sichuan Moon at Wynn Palace in Macau.
Educating the next generation also features prominently on his agenda. He frequently gives lectures to inspire the younger generation and visits culinary schools such as Asia University and Fu Jen Catholic University in Taiwan to share with students “things cooking school would never teach them”. To him, these things have to do with seasonality, aesthetics, colour combination, as well as branding, marketing and the economics of running a restaurant. “If you want to showcase your style in your own restaurant, these are essential, but schools never teach you about it,” Chiang adds.
(Related: This Is Not Goodbye, Says Andre Chiang)
One Tree Hill, his new cafe in Taiwan
One of the latest stops in his hectic schedule is Japan’s historic culinary capital, Kyoto, for a pop-up event at Kaikado cafe to promote his new project in Taipei—a cafe that combines French dessert tradition with Taiwanese tea culture. “One Tree Hill is our ninth baby,” he tells us, referring to the latest concept under ACG that opened in October last year.
Serving us his favourite Macanese egg tarts that he had hand-carried in, Chiang shares how he was only going to be in Kyoto for 22 hours for the pop-up, before heading to Tokyo to cook at a four-hands event with his friend, Lionel Beccat, executive chef of two Michelin-starred French restaurant, Esquisse. “Then I go to Kanazawa for 17 hours for my new B&B project,” he shares.
(Related: Andre Chiang and Jimmy Lin On Modernising Heritage Foods)