Executive chefs have to keep an eye on everything
KOTA KINABALU: Executive chefs of hotels have to keep an eye on everything and being everywhere at once.
This is just what Liu Soon Yoong, the newly appointed Executive Chef of The Klagan Regency @1Borneo Kota Kinabalu, has to do.
“Naturally an executive chef also relies on top staff because try as you might, you cannot at the same time run tastings to ensure quality of each and every food that comes out from the kitchen, makes sure that the right raw foodstuffs reach the kitchen and that the cooks and pastry chefs follow the chef’s instructions, prepare food from one to 1,500 people, manage budgets and actually get behind the stoves, which is all too seldom but always a real pleasure!” commented Chef Yoong.
The appointment adds another layer of local and sustainable flavor to both the banquet and restaurant menus.
With over 22 years of global culinary experience across various renowned hotels and restaurants, Chef Yoong with his creativity and innovation leads the kitchen brigade in providing guests with the most exquisite dining experience in the hotel’s restaurants and ballroom.
General manager of Klagan Regency, Narendra Sinniah, shared, “Chef Yoong passionately works on local traditional and ‘from scratch’ recipes creating new and exciting menu options giving a burst surprising flavor combinations.”
Chef Yoong took part in the World Chinese Culinary Contest in Taipei, the 4th and 5th Malaysian Golden Chef Competitions and the International Young Chef Chinese Culinary Challenge respectively. He has also been awarded as an Excellent Standard of Contribution in The Pan Malaysia Koo Soo Restaurants & Chefs Association and Nestle Food Services.
The ‘hands-on’ training, challenges and journey over two decades of hotel and dining experience not only in Malaysia but also Singapore, Hangzhou, Scotland and Ireland has spurred him on a continuous culinary exploration in all cuisines.