Small Talk

Rising culinary star Hilda Chan will be showcasing her gastronomic verve at the Longines Masters of Hong Kong this month. She tells Charmaine Mok of her culinary journey and the memories that have inspired her

Rising culinary star Hilda Chan will be showcasing her gastronomic verve at the Longines Masters of Hong Kong

Caooking for a crowd is never an easy feat but young chef Hilda Chan is already a seasoned pro. As the guest chef at this month’s Longines Masters of Hong Kong, she will be overseeing feasts for hundreds of spectators each day—numbers the Hongkonger is already used to, having collaborated late last year with the iconic Martin Yan on the Wildaid gala dinner in Los Angeles, where they served more than 600 guests. A graduate of the Institut Culinaire Disciples Escoffier, Chan was appointed an ambassador for Disciples Escoffier International Asia last year. Her cooking is firmly rooted in French tradition, to which she adds her own touches of inspiration gleaned from working alongside well-known chefs around the world.

What drew you to cooking?

I was very lucky when I was young because my dad always loved eating. I was exposed to a lot of different dining experiences growing up. He would take us around and I met a lot of chefs even as a child. When he’d go on business trips he’d bring back local foods from wherever he’d been, too. I remember the first time I tried chilli chocolate with worms, which he brought from Mexico. He told me it was high in protein. He was very adventurous.

What was the first dish you cooked?

A classic Chinese dish of vinegar-glazed spare ribs. I was studying in the US and they didn’t have a lot of Asian ingredients at the time. All I had was white vinegar, white sugar and ginger. I actually ruined one pan because I burned the sugar the first time. But I remember feeling proud that I could use Western ingredients to make an Asian dish. I remember it was a huge portion because I got everything from Costco. I was eating it for three days.

You’ve trained in both savoury and pastry disciplines. Which do you prefer?

I’m actually more into desserts and pastry right now. You’re more in control. With pastry, you can do more with colours, flavours and seasonal fruits. It’s almost like you’re an artist. You can mould dough, play with chocolate. A piece of meat is a piece of meat; you can’t make it look like a flower.

You trained with chefs such as Olivier Bellin of the Ocean and Maxime Gilbert of Écriture. What did you learn from them?

More about attitude. They’re both very neat and know exactly what they have to do. I hate working with messy chefs now. The best chefs are always very organised and super clean. Also, never underestimate teamwork—be nice to your team and they will do whatever it takes to make magic happen.

What can we expect from your menu at the Longines Masters of Hong Kong?

It will be classic French. In terms of appetisers, we’ll have a scallop tartare with salmon roe that has been marinated with yuzu. I’ll also be using French chicken for the chicken roll, which is my specialty. We’ll use the breast and stuff it with ground chicken, some cream and green apple to give it a good balance of richness and freshness, and that will go with a morel sauce. And for dessert, we’ll have a Japanese white peach Melba with homemade vanilla ice cream.

The Longines Masters of Hong Kong runs from February 15 to 17 at Asiaworld-expo.