Celebrity chef restaurants dot the globe, but their famous namesakes can’t be everywhere at once. Here are seven chefs who hold the fort for their legendary bosses at some of the best restaurants in Asia.
1. Paul Eschbach
Executive Chef at Jean-Georges, Shanghai
A Culinary Institute of America graduate, Paul Eschbach worked in butchering and catering before joining 66, Jean-Georges Vongerichten’s nouveau-Chinese establishment, in 2002, and has helmed Jean-Georges Shanghai since September 2013.
2. Park Suk Hwan
Chef de Cuisine at Dosa by Baek Seung Wook, Seoul
Originally a sports major, Park Suk Hwan worked with Korean-American snowboarder-turned-chef Akira Back (Baek Seung Wook) at the latter’s Yellowtail and Kumi in Las Vegas before joining Dosa in Seoul in 2016, and led the team to a Michelin star late last year.
3. Stéphane Gortina
Executive Chef at Rech by Alain Ducasse, Hong Kong
Stéphane Gortina led the restaurant at the InterContinental Hong Kong to one Michelin star in late 2017, less than a year after it opened. He’s spent more than a decade working in Alain Ducasse restaurants across France, Russia, Qatar, UK, Mauritius and Hong Kong.
4. Davide Bizzarri
Chef de Cuisine at Fratelli, Singapore
Davide Bizzarri was chef de cuisine at Resorts World Sentosa’s Hotel Michael and now-defunct Palio before taking charge of Fratelli, under the direction of Enrico and Roberto Cerea of the three-Michelin-star Da Vittorio.
5. Philip Leong
Head Chef at Nobu, Kuala Lumpur
The Ipoh native, who started out pursuing interior architecture in Dublin, spent nine years training under Chef Nobuyuki Matsuhisa at Nobu Berkeley Street in London before returning to Malaysia.
6. Olivier Jean
Executive Chef at L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon, Taipei
Olivier Jean earned his stripes through Joël Robuchon restaurants in Paris and Monte Carlo before landing in Taipei, where he has worked and lived for four-and-a-half years.
7. Sabrina Stillhart
Executive Chef at Bread Street Kitchen, Singapore
Starting out at the age of 17 as a kitchen apprentice in Switzerland, Sabrina Stillhart has spent the last decade with the Gordon Ramsay group, from Savoy Grill to Boxwood Cafe. She led the opening team at Bread Street Kitchen at Marina Bay Sands.
See what each chef has to say about their respective chieftains behind the celebrity chef restaurants they help run in our March 2018 issue.
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The post Celebrity chef surrogates: 7 unsung heroes of acclaimed restaurants in Asia appeared first on Prestige Online - Hong Kong.