15 Minutes with Jayson Tang

The 30-year old, newly appointed executive Chinese chef of JW Marriott’s Man Ho Chinese Restaurant shares the lessons that shaped his ten-year career

In July 2006, Jayson Tang just graduated from the Chinese Cuisine Training Institute (CCTI). Surrounded by food growing up, Tang learne the trade at a young age, from running kitchen errands to familiarising with ingredients at the wet market. Upon graduation he underwent training in Chinese kitchens, stepping up on ranks and establishing skills, as he was promoted as the executive Chinese chef at Cuisine Cuisine at the Mira in his late 20s, rather unheard of in the Chinese culinary world. Just turning 30, chef Tang turned a new page as he relocated to take the helm of the kitchen of Man Ho at JW Marriott in Admiralty. Hong Kong Tatler sat down with the young Chinese chef as he shares what it means to be young, successful, and honing solid skills in and out of the hotel kitchen.

A good mentor teaches you how to be a chef, and how to be a better person. Lessons always come beyond the classroom setting.

As the leader of the pack, you need to show your team you respect them and are willing to take responsibility. The two elements will help you earn opportunities and build confidence.

Lightness, freshness, crunch, tender and softness are the five elements that make Cantonese cuisine a great repertoire.

Value your basics and don’t obsess over new techniques. When you own the basic techniques there are endless possibilities to create.

My cuisine is about contrast, adding comparison of textures and flavours from within the dish allows the guests to feel differently from one bite to the next.

A good dish should be timeless, by that I mean it should stand against time, a classic that never goes out of style.

Dumplings and coffee are my two secret pleasures. I don’t try to learn how to create the best dumpling or coffee, let alone making them, but I know enough to tell what makes a good one, a bad one, or the one I like.

Flavours should always come first, texture second, and presentation last. A dish isn’t proper without the first two, even if it looks awful at the end.

My most memorable dish is scrambled eggs, because it is about understanding your ingredient. You learn the techniques but you always amount your experience and intuition based on failed experiments.

My inspiration comes from daily life, including my market strolls. The market has the best indication of seasonality, and nothing is as accurate as your observation to develop ideas for your next dish.