Save
Chefs Jose Lorenzo Morales and Victor/Zhi Cheng Wang both S.Pellegrino Young Chef Academy Competition 2019-2021 regional winners were unable to attend the Grand Finale in Milan, due to travel restrictions. Fine Dining Lovers got to ask them about their lives in gastronomy, their philosophies, and of course the dishes we all missed tasting at the main event.
Morales’ signature dish is called ‘Analogy’ and consists of roasted lechón pork belly, shrimp bagoong paste, pandan rice cracker, latik caramel, and tamarind powder. His mentor was John Rivera, head chef at Lûmé in Melbourne.
Where are you working now?
I am currently working as a chef de partie at Omnia Bistro in South Yarra, Chapel Street, in Melbourne Victoria
Unfortunately, you were unable to participate at the Grand Finale, but up to now, the competition has been challenging even in the regional selection. What have you learned during the process?
The best part of the whole experience participating with S.Pellegrino Young Chef would be the thrill of consistent progression, even before I started applying for the competition, I set my mind to be committed to the idea of challenging myself every week on how I can mould and restructure my training and take myself further. Then as competition day comes I can enjoy and simply reap the pleasures of cooking.
Did you have the chance to meet with your mentor and to discuss your signature dish after the regional final?
Yes, I was able to meet chef Peter Gilmore. I had the opportunity to cook and train with him and his driven team. The time I was able to spend in his kitchen was very constructive in and out of the restaurant. To be able to integrate myself in the synergy of their work environment was personally historical. Having so much content for discussion about how we were meant to present the dish and the sourcing of the components.
How would you use your signature dish or some elements of the dish in a future menu?
I am definitely going to embrace my dish timelessly. I have already committed 3 years to consistently developing its thought and structure. So my next goal now is to reach as many people as I can to let them try Philippine-Australian cuisine.
What are the elements of your dish that you are most proud of?
All the components are sentimental to me. Each element represented my mistakes that grew to become lessons on cooking. It was my intention to put my country and values on the plate having initiations with traditional practices and concepts that will help people see a connection of a stronger sense of gastronomy through the acceptance of differences.
What are your plans for the future?
My dream is to have the best restaurant in the world. Create the best working environment that every passionate cook should practice, to remind themselves why they loved to cook in the first place.
Victor/Zhi Cheng Wang was the winner of the Greater China regional final of the S.Pellegrino Young Chef Academy Competition 2019-21. The competition took place in Shanghai. His signature dish was ‘What Is Soy in China?’ and his mentor was Blake Thornley.
Where are you working now?
I used to live in Shanghai, but after the competition I came back to my hometown, Foochow, the capital of Fujian province in China. I opened a small restaurant with my friends - a warm and comfortable bistro.
Unfortunately, you were unable to participate at the Grand Finale, but up to now, the competition has been challenging even in the regional selection. What have you learned during the process?
Since it is a competition within the greater China region, the contestants all have a certain cultural consensus, which will be a difficult choice for the judges, I am so lucky for the finale because everyone is great.
Did you have the chance to meet with your mentor and to discuss your signature after the regional?
I had the honour to meet Mr Da Dong last year. He took me to his favourite restaurant in Beijing, which is a local traditional restaurant. On there, he told me how to combine the spirit and cultural inheritance into my cuisine art.
How would you use your signature dish or some elements of the dish in a future menu?
I think my signature dish is not just a work, more of a concept, and my view of Chinese food. It would definitely have an impact on my following dishes, but it will be presented in diverse formats.
What are the elements of your dish that you are most proud of?
The element I am most proud of, of course, is the soy bean, which is widely used by the Chinese for thousand of years, and has infinite possibilities. I have combined both Chinese ingredients and western techniques to explore some new culinary beauty.
What are your plans for the future?
I’m setting up my own bistro, and I hope I can try my best to present a perfect restaurant.
