Culinary Queen: Hong Kong has become an international hub for culinary visionaries like Vicky Lau the owner of the 20-seater Tate Dining Room & Bar. A haute-cuisine establishment serving up French and Asian-influenced cuisine, Vicki says she’s an artist who tells stories with food.

What does it mean to you to be heralded as Asia’s Best Female Chef for 2015?

I’m definitely very happy, surprised and honoured to have won the title. I think a lot of people can be good at what they’re doing and I appreciate that my work has been recognised as a culinary influence. I’m happy that industry experts voted on this as well and have appreciated my efforts.

What changes now, after this award?

I think my goals are pretty much the same. What drives me is to produce new and creative dishes that are tasty, so I’ll be focussing on that and working on my techniques. I think this award will open up a lot of opportunities for me in terms of meeting new people, which could in turn inspire me, and I could share with other people’s visions. I think collaborating with other chefs would be a good thing. 

Is there anyone you have in mind who you’d like to work with?

I think a lot of people from different parts of the world would be very interesting. There are some cuisines I’ve not yet tried to cook before and those differences could be very interesting. It would also be really interesting to work with a Vietnamese chef, to combine all of our ingredients and flavours together. 

You studied design in New York. How much did those years influence and inspire your culinary journey?

I also went to high school in the States, so I was there for seven years. That time when you’re a teenager until your twenties is when your mind gets shaped. My experience in America definitely helped me to think creatively and not just follow trends.

How has your design experience helped your career as a chef and restaurateur?

As a designer, I felt like something was missing. When you’re in an industry you tend to just look at what’s in front of you, but you have to look even further to be inspired, otherwise you end up just doing what other people are doing. My design experience helps me to think outside the box and, of course, going to culinary school and working at Cépage (another Michelin-star restaurant in Hong Kong) was very important for me to learn techniques and how to put everything together. Design can be very similar to cooking, in terms of sourcing the raw ingredients, but everything has to be translated to an end result, where people can experience your story.

You value the importance of food having a narrative. Can you elaborate on that?

For me, cooking is the harmony of art, craft and science. By telling a story, all these factors can come out. Obviously it’s important to be visually stunning when you serve a dish and to have a theme to translate on to a plate. Expressing what you’re thinking and feeling through food can be quite powerful.

Do you still consider yourself an artist?

I’d say so. The term ‘artist’ can be very loose. When I create something with food, I can inspire people to think about other things or capture a moment. I can’t say all my dishes do that, but I do consider some to be art.

How do you approach the creative process of formulating new dishes and menus?

I think ingredients and seasons inspire me the most. The most important thing with food is to source the ingredients that are around you. I always go to the wet markets where there are a lot of different seafoods, vegetables and dry goods. Those inspire me. I also very much like the way a Japanese kaiseki (a traditional dinner) has a menu that’s based around seasons and the feeling of winter, autumn, et cetera. But the fundamental thing that inspires people should be taste.

Hong Kong is well-known as a dining destination, so are you strategically trying to stand out from the crowd?

I don’t think too much about that. There are so many restaurants out there and it changes all the time. I think it’s important to find your own style and reflect your own personality into the restaurant, as well as the food.  If you just try to force it, it doesn’t work. It must be yourself — the whole thing must be together. Hong Kong has a lot of fine-dining restaurants in hotels, which tend to be larger. Tate is very small, with an open kitchen, so it immediately feels like you’re walking into an intimate space where you know everyone. That kind of ambience can be lacking in Hong Kong.

Are you at the restaurant most of the time?

I’m here pretty much every night. Customers can come and talk to me, and a lot of them do. And most of the staff and servers are in their twenties, so it’s a very energetic place.

You’ve been recognised as a top female chef, but do you think that gender distinction will soon be considered irrelevant?

I think it’s necessary to recognise and celebrate female talent because in some countries, being in the kitchen has a different social value. But I’ve seen a lot of changes in Hong Kong over the years, with a growing number of female chefs. At Tate we have a female-to-male ratio of three to one, which can be quite rare. But regardless of a chef’s gender it should be about the hard work and passion that makes you succeed. But recognising female talent is also important.

Do you see yourself as a role model — both as a female chef and someone who’s made a transition in their career?

I hope so. I always meet people in their thirties who don’t really like their jobs anymore. People shouldn’t be afraid of their age or gender when it comes to deciding what to do. You should do what you love.  

For reservations, Visit www.tate.com/hk or call +852 2555 2172