School of wok: training the next generation of Cantonese chefs
Flames leap from the stove as the fire intensifies. Armed with a metal ladle and large wok, trainee chef Dennis Chan Chung-shing moves gracefully around his station, trying to beat the clock.
The garlic sizzles in the oil, then the peppers and snow peas are added to the mix. Chan is attempting to make a traditional Cantonese dish of stir-fried scallops.
Master chef and instructor Lee Siu-kong barks a command and Chan adds the scallops to the wok with a flourish.
'In stir-fried food, timing and control are key,' says Chan, a second-year student at the Chinese Cuisine Training Institute. 'It's exciting, I have to be quick but precise. The course combines theory and actual work experience,' the 22-year-old says.
Last year, Hong Kong boasted more than 8,000 restaurants; up from about 6,800 in 2000. The city is a mecca of culinary delights ranging from Michelin-star Chinese restaurants to cha chaan teng - the ubiquitous Cantonese-meets-West cafes. And while cooking used to be looked down on as blue-collar work, the trade has taken on a more prestigious reputation. Being a chef is viewed as an alternative - but respectable - career.
Young chefs are no longer thrown in at the deep end and expected to tread water in the high-pressure environment of a professional kitchen. Today, training starts with the basics at specialised schools where curricula are set by teachers and catering professionals.
When Lee started out, 'times were tough and the environments where chefs worked were not always as clean or safe as they are today'.
Lee has been teaching the next generation of Chinese chefs for more than five years. His methods follow his philosophy that all skills start at the most basic level.
'The biggest challenge is teaching the process of cooking in a safe manner,' he says. 'We want to teach our students good habits, such as hygiene and cooking safety, so it is an advantage that many of the students start from scratch.'
Since 2000, the institute, run by the Vocational Training Council, has provided full-time pre-employment programmes for novices and part-time in-service courses for cooks and chefs already in the industry. This year, 300 novices have signed up and 1,200 students are taking the part-time course.
Institute director Lawrence Wong Ve-chung says training a professional Chinese chef is not just about teaching kitchen skills. Hazards and hygiene, and financial and human resources management are also essential.
'Some of the students are interested in starting their own business, while others want to work in big restaurants or hotels. Being well-rounded is of key importance.'
The Millennium Training Restaurant at Polytechnic University is probably Hong Kong's oldest student-run outlet. The restaurant allows students to gain experience in situations they would find themselves in after graduating. It caters for students working towards a higher diploma or bachelor's degree in hotel management.
School of Hotel and Tourism Management associate professor David Jones says the restaurant enables students to practise in a safe environment with real customers.
'The key is that students learn the operations of both front and back of house, safety and health standards, wines and cultural differences in foods and gastronomy,' Jones says.
