Q&A with Leung Fai-hung, of the InterContinental Grand Stanford

"I wasn't feeling well and my doctor told me I had high blood pressure, high cholesterol and problems with my kidneys. He said I needed to exercise and rest more, but I could not do that with my job. So I thought about retiring. When the hotel threw me a farewell party, hotel owner Paddy Lui Wai-yu gave a heartfelt speech. She said my departure was like a family member leaving, and I was very moved by that. During my time off I went swimming, hiking and walking and lost four kilos. I also did a bit of travelling, to Shandong, Guangxi and my hometown, Xiqiao [in Guangdong province]. But then I felt I was too young to retire and when the hotel's owner contacted me personally, asking me to come back, I did. It's hard to find such an appreciative boss."

"Some regular customers suggested I start restaurants with them, but I thought it would be too stressful for me; best to come back to a place where I feel comfortable and know everyone. I've worked at [hotel restaurant] Hoi King Heen for 20 years. These days I try to have more time off and leave work earlier so that I can squeeze in some exercise before I go to bed. I also have alternate weekends off."

"I got into the business when I was 16 years old. I came to Hong Kong from Xiqiao and didn't have many skills, so I started doing kitchen work. Back then it was really tough. I had to do whatever the chef asked me to do, from washing his clothes to buying him a drink, in the hope that he would teach me something new. We had to sleep in the restaurant, putting chairs together as our beds. I didn't like cooking at first because it was non-stop, but then as the head chef asked me to do more things, I knew I was doing a good job and I eventually became happy with what I was doing."

"Even while I'm eating I'll think about dishes. Before smartphones, I used to take a notebook around with me, draw a dish the best I could and make notes. And I would think of ways to make the dish tastier or the presentation better. Now it's so convenient to just take a picture with your smartphone. I like creating vegetarian dishes because it's a challenge to make them taste delicious using less oil and more seasoning."

"I don't like to cook at home but my wife doesn't cook well so I have to help her. She likes to buy expensive ingredients like abalone, crab, king prawns, and she doesn't know how to prepare them so I help her do that."

"I don't have a particular favourite restaurant, but I will mostly try Chinese restaurants around town to see what others are doing. For non-Chinese restaurants, I will usually eat Western or Thai cuisines to get some creative inspiration."