Chefs nowadays do not have knowledge limited to whipping up a storm in the kitchen. Sam Leong is a fine example of such. Not only is he one of the youngest executive chefs in Singapore, but he is also a successful marketer for the Tung Lok group of 19 restaurants, particularly the innovative Jade and My Humble House. Leong first tilled his culinary career field when he entered La Tropical Catering Sdn. Bhd. as a Chinese cook, gaining greater knowledge of the culinary scene as an executive chef for Novotel Bangkok and The Four Seasons Hotel, Singapore. Having sown the seeds of experience, Leong reaped his harvest when he won the ‘Asia Ethnic Chef of the Year’ title two consecutive years in a row at the WGS Awards of Excellence 2001 and 2002, and was nominated for the same award in the 2003 WGS Awards of Excellence.

Tracing authentic Cantonese roots with new ingredients, Chan Kwok, master chef of Hua Ting restaurant in Orchard Hotel Singapore, has proudly maintained the Cantonese identity in a modern western-influenced Singapore and rid the stereotype of traditional Chinese cuisine being old and stubborn. Kwok’s own roots crosses countries to Hong Kong, where his career in the hotel industry was sparked. Kwok’s passion for scouting new leagues and fresh horizons brought him to Singapore in 1981, where he worked in the then-famous Cantonese restaurant Happy Valley. His career soon advanced to chief chef of Crystal Jade Restaurant from 1991 to 1997, and then upwards to his present prominence in the critically acclaimed Hua Ting restaurant. Last year, his efforts were affirmed when he won a silver medal in the Food&HotelAsia Red Pocket Culinary Challenge. He was also nominated as a finalist in 2003 for the ‘Heinz Asian Ethnic Chef of the Year’ award in the WGS Awards of Excellence 2003.