How a brain tumour took Tiffany Lo from banking to becoming a chef, opening restaurant Jean May
- Tiffany Lo quit her job in investment banking after being diagnosed with a blood vessel tumour in her brain
- Realising she needed to pursue her passion for cooking, she went to London to learn the ropes from Pierre Koffmann
So who is Jean May? “She’s my maternal grandmother. She and I were very close. She had more than 15 grandchildren, but I was closest to her. She was a great cook. I was too young to help, but I would always follow her around.
“Among my mum’s siblings, my mum is the best cook, and she is always the one to bring the family together. They cook Shanghainese dishes.”
Why did you get into finance? “My dad is in finance and I wanted to follow in his footsteps. When we were growing up, everyone talked about being a banker, lawyer and doctor, so I never thought of becoming a chef.
“My first degree was in pathology. I am interested in science and biology, but it wasn’t the right career for me. Then I got a master’s in investment management to get into finance in 2005.”
How did that turn out? “I kind of liked investment banking, but after four years I started having serious headaches – I’d never had headaches before. I couldn’t sleep and it affected my life. In 2009, I had an MRI scan that showed I had a blood vessel tumour in my brain. They said I didn’t need surgery, but I had to monitor it.