With over 20 years of experience at the helm of various Chinese restaurants in Malaysia, Australia, Philippines, and China, Chef Kenny Yong Tze Hin will now lead the Chinese culinary team of Marco Polo’s Cantonese specialty restaurant Hai Shin Lou.
Chef Kenny has long been fascinated by the delicate nuances of Cantonese cuisine. He started as a budding young cook in 1992 at the Hotel Equatorial’s famous Golden Phoenix in Kuala Lumpur. His culinary skills were honed working with the seasoned Cantonese chefs of the hotel group’s restaurants in KL and Jakarta. From his first post as a young Executive Chinese Chef in 2002 at the Oriental Garden in Gold Coast, Australia, he has since led Chinese culinary teams in various parts of Asia.
Chef Kenny is no stranger to the Filipinos’ love affair with Chinese cuisine. He was the Executive Chinese Chef at the Tea of Spring at Mactan Shangri-La and the Ching Hai restaurant of JPark Island Resort. Most recently, he was the Chinese Sous Chef at the Solaire Resort & Casino in Manila before joining the Marco Polo.
“These days, Cantonese cooking requires a fine balance between traditional cooking methods and innovative ideas and presentations,” said Chef Kenny, “but one must never lose the authenticity of taste, precise timing and freshness of ingredients which make Cantonese one of the top cuisines in the world.”
Kenny speaks fluent Cantonese, Mandarin and English. He counts Fujian and Szechuan among his other favorite regional cuisines, just a few of the many seasonal promotions he plans for Hai Shin Lou this year.
Looking ahead, Chef Kenny is exploring opportunities to advocate healthy eating in the Chinese kitchen, by looking at slightly different ways to season while keeping the core essence of Cantonese flavors.
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