Chef Edward Chong has been a dear student (徒弟) of mine for several years. One of the challenges we faced together was this—being Malaysian, Edward was trained in Malaysian-Chinese cuisine, yet he was positioned and marketed as a 100%-Cantonese chef. This dissonance was hurting his credibility; so we had to solve it.

We developed a style for Edward that celebrated the food of the Chinese diaspora in Msia and Sg. We focused on flavours rooted in the Chinese migrants that came to our shores over the centuries; but used techniques that reflected evolution and innovation. We inserted a strong personal component in terms of the flavours Chef Edward grew up with, and his pride for his homeland of M’sia. And we picked a name that was self-explanatory—Modern Chinese Cuisine.

Well done, Chef! I’m so proud of you and your team!