Born: Hong Kong
History: The
son of an eminent Hong Kong chef, Jack was
destined for a culinary career. Aged
only 15 he started his apprenticeship at Hong Kong’s Red Ruby Restaurant, underwent four years of intensive training at the renowned Lu Kwok Hotel under his father's strict supervision, and from there went on to work at restaurants throughout Hong Kong.
Their dream of a new future took Jack, his wife and their four children to Sydney in the early 1980s. Jack secured a position at Central Restaurant
in Chinatown, quickly establishing his reputation
and even making a television appearance on Good
Morning Australia. He later moved to the Gold Coast, working at numerous restaurants of renown before being
head-hunted by the owner of Hung Kee in Beverly Hills,
Sydney. Returning to the Cantonese style cooking of
his early career, Jack produced a number of recipes still used and revered to
this day, including the special roasted pigeon, secret beef fillet steak with
wasabi, and braised mud crab with hua diao rice wine.
During the 90s, Jack worked as Head Chef at the Tang Dynasty Restaurant on Hamilton Island, where he cooked for many prominent figures including
George Harrison, Lee Marvin, Rupert Murdoch and Gai Waterhouse. Later that decade he once more returned to Sydney, becoming Head Chef of the Noble
Dragon Restaurant before being head-hunted
again - this time by the new owner of East Ocean Restaurant, where he managed
three kitchens.
In 2003 the
Honorary Henry Tsang, OAM, MLC commissioned Jack to create a banquet featuring kangaroo as the main ingredient - a venture that earned him a gold medal for his creativity and skills in contributing to the export market.
In the following
years, while working at East Ocean Restaurant and then Zilver Restaurant, Jack travelled to Hong Kong and China, on one occasion as a judge
at the Guangzhou International Cooking Competition. Following a stint as Head
Chef of the Iron Chef Chinese Seafood Restaurant, Jack is now Executive Chef of
Grand Pearl Seafood Restaurant in Canley Vale.
Cooking
style: Jack is renowned for his ability to think ‘outside
the wok’, adding a contemporary twist to classic Chinese cuisine. Known as the ‘king of crab’, he specialises
in dishes like deep fried live mud crab tossed in salted egg, creamy mud crab stir
fried in milk, and black pepper sauce mud crab.
Signature
dish: Mud crab
deep fried with special rice wine