One Last Thing: Chef Kelvin Cheung on his culinary inspirations and childhood nostalgia
Chinese-Canadian chef Kelvin Cheung is a champion of “third-culture cuisine”, blending his North American upbringing with his French culinary training and the freshest local ingredients. Known as the brains behind the restaurants Jun’s and Jooksing, as well as 852 Bakery, Cheung is a popular figure on the Dubai dining scene, and has been decorated with recognition from the Michelin Guide , Middle…
Chef Kelvin Cheung, a champion of third-culture cuisine, has blended his North American upbringing, French culinary training, and local ingredients to create a unique culinary style. Known for his restaurants Jun’s and Jooksing, as well as 852 Bakery, Cheung has become a prominent figure in the Dubai dining scene and has received recognition from the Michelin Guide, Middle East & North Africa’s 50 Best Restaurants, and Gault-Millau.
Recently, he was appointed as a judge on MasterChef Asia alongside Thai chef Pam Pichaya Soontornyanakij and American-Korean chef Edward Kyun Lee.
This year, Cheung spearheaded the Support Homegrown campaign, which saw the UAE’s foodie community rally to support local dining establishments amid the challenges of the Iran war. When asked about his favorite time of day, Cheung reveals that it's just before sunrise, enjoying a quiet coffee with his wife Andrea. His favorite restaurant globally is Sushi Dai inside Toyosu Market in Tokyo's Koto City, where he can get the freshest fish at the best price.
Cheung remembers the moment when he realized his parents were human when he began working at the family restaurant and witnessed their hard work to take care of him.
Despite his success, Cheung still has hidden talents, such as making his wife laugh. He enjoys reading "The Soul of a Chef: The Journey Toward Perfection" by Michael Ruhlman and listens to music that doesn't include screamo and heavy death metal. Cheung states that bad food can ruin his mood and that he cannot live without food. His dream dinner guests would be his parents, and he prefers sitting on the sofa with friends over going out.
Cheung believes that aliens are among us and fondly recalls the smell of freshly cooked rice, especially when his mother made Chinese bone broth daily. He misses childhood culinary memories that are both nourishing and comforting, packed with ingredients like goji berries, red dates, and ginger. Tokyo is his favorite city to visit but not where he would want to live. Cheung admits that he has no musical talent and has ridden a motorcycle during his teenage years.
In life, Cheung lives by the motto of "Pee when you can" and dislikes bullies. He appreciates the Arabic word or phrase "Tislam idak," which translates to "bless your hands" and means great job. Cheung enjoys niche content on YouTube, specifically YouTube Golf, a community of creators who film high-stakes golf challenges and casual rounds.
When it comes to tea, Cheung prefers a strong evaporated milk Hong Kong-style. Ultimately, Cheung's introverted nature might surprise most people, even though he's an accomplished chef and food advocate.
Written by urgent.news from The National Business's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
