WORLDCHEFS – FRANCIS LO
My involvement with Worldchefs, HKCA and HKYCC also gave me the chance to visit far off places and experience cultures and cuisines I never imagined myself trying. I may not be as well travelled as a lot of chefs, but since becoming involved with Worldchefs, I’ve been to Dubai, Stavanger, Kuala Lumpur, Erfurt, Singapore, Penang, Johannesburg, Shanghai, Tokyo, Taipei, and a few other places besides. I haven’t quite managed to visit every continent yet, but it’s on my to-do list. The biggest benefit by far in being involved in any kind of chef community is the opportunity to meet and learn from other chefs. The culinary profession is inherently anti-social. Chefs are busiest when other people are relaxing and enjoying themselves, so it’s hard to build and maintain relationships. My involvement with the Hong Kong Chefs Association, Hong Kong Young Chefs Club, and Worldchefs, allowed me to meet others who could understand where I was coming from, and often provided examples I could aspire to live up to. WHAT ARE SOME OF THE KEY LESSONS/EXPERIENCES YOU HAVE LEARNT THAT YOU WILL LIKE TO SHARE WITH THE YOUNG CHEFS TODAY? Ground yourself in the classics before you get “creative”. When I was in culinary school I often heard my classmates talk about creativity. Creativity doesn’t mean blind ignorance or random accidents on a plate. Before I became a chef, I studied fine art. One of the lessons I remember was about Pablo Picasso. Did you know that Picasso was considered a master of classical, naturalistic styles of painting before he started the Cubism movement? He was widely respected in part because his creativity grew from his classical foundation.
MEET THE NEW PRESIDENT OF HKCA Francis Lo shares his aspirations in his new role for the Hong Kong Chefs Association. His top to-do: Retain the young chefs. HOW HAS YOUR INVOLVEMENT WITH WORLDCHEFS & HONG KONG CHEFS ASSOCIATION DEVELOPED YOU PERSONALLY AS A CHEF? Not long after forming the Hong Kong Young Chefs Club, 3 out of the 4 founding committee members (myself included) ended up switching from professional kitchens to careers in culinary education. I like to think that our work with young chefs gave us a sense of responsibility for helping to develop the next generation of chefs. As a culinary educator, I’ve had the chance to help open doors for, and enjoy the successes of hundreds of students, some of whom have gone on to really amazing career paths. 26 WORLDCHEFS MAGAZINE