With quick wits and a sarcastic sense of humor, Alvin Leung,
also known as the “The Demon Chef”, is one of the two self-taught Michelin star chefs in the world. His culinary career includes three restaurants including the Bo Innovation and Bo London restaurants in Hong Kong and England, as well as fast food concepts and appearances on numerous cooking shows and television programs.
Leung tattooed “Demon Chef” on his right arm about 6 years ago and it was a symbol of personally cementing his own identity and making a life-long commitment to his passion for cooking—not just a gimmick. “When you have a tattoo on your arm that says something, then you better comply to that tattoo or else you look silly,” says Leung, “So this is a like a commitment, that I will stick to what I do no matter what happens”.
Leung thought of the nickname Demon Chef on his own, mainly because he did not like the names that others were giving him such as “Rock and Roll Chef” and “God Chef”. He explained that the choice was influenced by the Greek word “Daimôn”, which means “playful spirit”. Leung describes himself as playful, creative, and naughty when it comes to his work. He invented his own his culinary style called “X-Treme Chinese” which is truly unique because unlike many other chefs who place emphasis in their presentation or recipes of dishes, Leung starts his creativity at the very beginning—with the ingredients.
During a cooking demo he throws together a classic whiskey sour, but with a twist. Instead of whiskey, Leung uses the infamous Chinese liquor Mao Tai with a powerful 53% alcohol content. He then takes it a step further. Taking the pressurized blend of lime, sugar, egg white, light cream and plenty of Mao Tai, he squeezes a small spoonful into a bowl of smoking liquid nitrogen and lightly tosses it around. A daring participant then takes the small egg-shaped “cocktail” and places it directly on their tongue. The result is a delightfully cool and citrusy treat that melts instantly with the amazing illusion of smoke being blown out from the mouth and nostrils. This is what inspires Demon Chef to name this piece “Dragon’s Breath”.
When asked if he has a favorite dish that he has created, Leung replied, “These are my children, and I don’t pick favorites.” Cooking is much more than just a career or hobby for the Demon Chef. He says, “I think what I’ve done and how it has been it has been accepted—I’m very proud of that. “ For Leung, cooking is an expression of his journey through life and a way to connect different cultures and people.
This coming Saturday on June 15th at 6:30pm, The San Francisco Mandarin Oriental Hotel will be hosting a cocktail reception and “East Meets West” Dining Extravaganza featuring the collaborative work of Alvin Leung and Adam Mali, the Mandarin Oriental’s Executive Chef. Alvin Leung will also be featured in a special 5th episode of KTSF-TV’s Asian Heritage Celebration, a 4-part series profiling successful Asian-American entrepreneurs.
文/ 思倫 譯/沁
口齒伶俐又略帶諷刺幽默的Alvin Leung，又稱”Demon Chef” 廚魔，是位無師自通的米其林二星的大廚。他的廚藝生涯成就包括香港及倫敦的Bo Innovation 與Bo London餐廳，快餐概念及許多烹飪節目。
Leung 六年前在右臂刺紋”Demon Chef”，當記者問起原因時，他清楚的表示這是他個人對自己許下的承諾，這個紋身象徵的他這一生對廚藝的執著與熱忱，也是鞏故他職業身份的定義。”這是一個承諾，不管發生什麼事，我都會堅持下去”Leung表示。Leung描繪自己是個具創意性，愛玩，甚至調皮的人，他的個性很明顯得反映在他的創作美食中。他自我發明的廚藝風格稱為”X-Treme Chinese”，當其他的廚師在美食作品的呈現與做法花很多工夫，Leung卻更進一層地追朔回更初始的階段-原始食材的創意。
在記者會的烹飪示範中，Leung表演了典型的Whisky Sour的做法，只是他用中國國酒茅台烈酒來代替.歐美的威士紀(whisky)。他將來母(lime)，糖，蛋白，奶霜(cream) 及大量的茅台混合後倒入壓縮器中加以壓縮後，擠出圓球狀放在湯匙中，直接放入華氏零下320度液化氮，輕輕滾一滾，高爾夫球般的一顆圓球就成型了。Leung邀請了第一位膽大的自願者嚐新，脆薄的外殼在舌上溶化後立即沁出清爽的柑橘香，而茅台的強烈酒精被液氮的速凍給暫困住，直到口舌回到體溫時品嚐者才感到茅台的後盾力。這茅台Sour入口時，鼻孔，嘴，同時噴出白煙，大廚Leung 幽默得命名為”Dragon Breath”, 噴煙的龍。
記者問起Leung 最得意的菜是什麼?他說他的作品就像他的孩子們，不能選擇哪個是最喜愛的。人們對他作品的認同與接受是他感到最驕傲的。廚藝不只是他的興趣或職業，對Leung 來說，那是他的人生路程，也是他與各國文化與人溝通結合的管道。
San Francisco Mandarin Oriental Hotel 於6/15 週6將隆重舉行結合東西方的美食晚宴，Alvin Leung 大廚及Mandarin Oriental Hotel 的執行大廚Adam Mali連合精心設計了五道菜色表現多元化的廚藝風格以及當地蔬果食材的特點。
地點: Mandarin Oriental Hotel
222 Sansome St. San Francisco
日期: 6/15 週6 晚6:30 費用: $250 一人，或$2000十人一桌 聯絡: Jocelyn Postrado at jpostrado@mohg.com, 415-986-9605
KTSF 26台為了慶祝亞太裔月，特別製作系列報導介紹灣區五位成功的自主創業者，魔廚Alvin Leung 是其中的一位，節目時間請上網查詢www.ktsf.com/asian-heritage-celebration-2013/
