H
adVictorLiong’smumnotspotted
a staff-wantedsignat theirlocalItalian
deli,Liong’scareerasa restaurateur
andchefmighthavenevertaken
off.Thoselate-nightshoppingstints
slicingcharcuterieinSydney’sBurwoodsparked
somethingthatbecameanall-consumingfire.
“Itwasawesome,”saysLiong.“I alwayslikedfood,
soit wasgreattobelearningaboutfoodthatwasso
differenttowhatI waseating.Theexperiencegave
mea realcuriosityaboutfoodandhowit allworks.”
WhenLiongjettisonedputtinghisbusiness
degreetoworkina 9-5role,hisfatherrefusedto
speaktohim.Butwhenhisparentsrealisedthat
hospitalitywasn’ta passingfad,theyacceptedhis
decision.“Fifteenyearsonandthey’remybiggest
fans,”laughsLiong.
Yearsofclassicaltrainingfollowed,including
a formativestintat Sydneyfine-dinerMarqueand
a spellat MrWong.Hedecidedtoditchclassical
cuisineinfavourofmodernChinesecookingand
relocatedtoMelbournetoopenLeeHoFook,allowing
himtoproperlydelveintohisownculturalheritage.
“AtthestartI justwantedtocookFrenchhaute
cuisineandmytrainingwasat thatlevel,sotaking
a pathtowardsChinesecookingwasaboutself-
discoveryandexploringflavoursandingredients
thatwerefamiliar,”hesays.“Itbecamemoremy
styleofcooking.”
Liongis a passionateadvocateforthehospitality
industry.“Ifyoureallylovefoodandservingpeople,
makingthemhappy,it’sthebestjobintheworld.
You’reservingthebestwines,workingwiththe
bestproduce– andthetravelis reallyawesome,”
hesays.“There’snobettertimetocookthan right
now. It’s a buyer’smarketoutthere.”FIRSTHOSPOJOB:Age14,asa salesassistantat an
Italian deli on Thursdays for late-night shopping.➤VICTOR LIONG,OWNER AND CHEF, LEE HO FOOK,
MELBOURNE, VIC & CO-OWNER AND CHEF, CHUUKA,
SYDNEY, NSW
Fromleft:theteamat
Chuuka,Sydney;a young
VictorLiong;Liongandchefs
RobertoLiandMichaelLi
at Lee Ho Fook, Melbourne.
GOURMET TRAVELLER 63