Wynn Macau Debuts Its Most Ambitious Restaurant: “Golden Flower” - A Chinese Culinary Legacy (China)
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Wynn Macau Debuts Its Most Ambitious Restaurant: “Golden Flower” - A Chinese Culinary Legacy (China)
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Category: Asia Pacific - China - Gourmet restaurants
- Gourmet restaurants
This is a press release selected by our editorial committee and published online for free on 2010-02-18
‘from Tan Zongjun to Master Liu’…..
After a successful two-year search for Mainland China’s best chefs, an exhaustive multi-million renovation, and months of culinary research, Wynn Macau launches Golden Flower, its most ambitious and exclusive restaurant to date. Set in an opulent and exclusive dining room, Golden Flower celebrates the life of the historic Cantonese Qing dynasty official Tan Zongjun with the authentic flavors of China’s interior -- Tan, Lu (Shandong), and Sichuan. Signature dishes include: Braised Jinshan shark’s fin in supreme chicken broth, Imperial dessert and many more.
Tan Zongjun inspired several generations of chefs to uphold the traditions of Tan Cuisine, including Golden Flower’s very own Chinese Executive chef Liu Guo Zhu, who worked for more than a decade in the same kitchen as a chef from the original Tan household. Master Liu, who heads Golden Flower and oversees Wynn Macau’s entire Chinese kitchen operations, was discovered during Wynn Macau’s exhaustive two-year search for China’s best Mainland Chinese chefs.
Passing the Torch: Golden Flower’s Culinary Brigade
Over a career spanning four decades, Master Liu has mentored hundreds of young Chinese chefs, teaching them the time-honored recipes for the Tan, Lu, and Sichuan cuisine of the Beijing Hotel and the Beijing Grand Hotel. He brings to Wynn Macau his top seven apprentices, who have gone on to illustrious careers in Beijing’s most prestigious kitchens. His four decades of work experience include more than twenty years at the legendary Beijing Hotel (where he cooked for Her Royal Highness the Queen of England, US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, and Chinese leader Deng Xiao Ping); Executive Chef at the Beijing Grand Hotel; and Chief Instructor at the Chinese Culinary Institute of Hong Kong.
Liu Guo Zhu – “The Master”
Master Liu Guo Zhu is the Executive Chef of Wynn Macau’s entire Chinese culinary operations, with a special emphasis on overseeing Golden Flower. Armed with a firm knowledge of Tan cuisine, Liu did his best to uphold the traditions of the storied Tan family. He also began teaching his apprentices the ways of the Tan household cuisine, particularly after his master chef died in the 1980s. Being an innovator, Master Liu encouraged his disciples to improve upon recipes, establishing a more open, creative learning environment than the traditionally regimented Chinese kitchen.
In the late 1980s, Master Liu advanced his career by taking the helm of the new Beijing Grand Hotel’s entire culinary operation, where he stayed for 14 years, developing young talent, creating new concepts, and safe guarding the cherished culinary traditions of Northern China and Sichuan. His son Liu Jie, after spending two years in the army, decided to follow the legacy of his father – much like Tan’s son, Zhuanqing – and joined Master Liu at the Beijing Grand. In the early 2000s, each went their separate ways, with Master Liu assuming the position of Chief Instructor at the Chinese Culinary Institute of Hong Kong, and his son earning a prestigious role as Chinese Executive Chef of the Hong Kong Jockey Club in Beijing, where he cooked Tan dishes for many Chinese celebrities.
After working separately for several years, father and son have now reunited to open Wynn Macau’s exclusive new restaurant, Golden Flower, to carry out the traditions of the celebrated Tan family. Master Liu has also enticed six of Northern China’s finest chefs, all his past apprentices, to join this adventure, as they celebrate and revive the culinary traditions of northern China, the Tan household, and Sichuan, sharing them with the Pearl River Delta and bringing back the Tan culinary legacy to the region where Tan Zongjun originated.
The chefs whom Master Liu has brought to Golden Flower share many traits. All Beijingers, they began their careers under the stewardship of Master Liu. While they have a background cooking various schools of Chinese cuisine, they are bonded by their passion to create China’s best northern cuisine. Members of Golden Flower’s Culinary Brigade include:
Wang Yong – “The Rock”
As Golden Flower’s Executive Chef, Chef Wang oversees the management of the entire kitchen, a responsibility that takes stamina and a wide knowledge of Golden Flower’s various cuisines. Chef Wang began his career in the mid-1980s at the Beijing Hotel and several years later, moved with Master Liu to the Beijing Grand Hotel, where he served as the Chinese Executive Chef until coming to Wynn Macau.
Liu Jie – “The Filial Son”
Liu Jie is Golden Flower’s Chef de Cuisine. He began his career at the Beijing Grand Hotel, eventually working his way up to Chef de Cuisine. Chef Liu is the son of Master Liu Guo Zhu. Though Chef Liu is a third-generation chef, he says he only began developing a passion for the job after realizing how appreciative hotel guests were of his cooking.
Bai Ying – “The Wizened Elder”
Bai Ying is Golden Flower’s Head Lu (Shandong) Chef. He is the oldest member of Golden Flower’s Culinary Brigade and has worked under the guardianship of Master Liu since 1980. He has worked as a chef at top establishments in China’s capital, including the Beijing Hotel, the Peninsula Hotel, and the Pine Valley Golf Resort & Country Club. His overseas experience includes cooking in Osaka, Japan, for two years and participating in the Bocuse d’ Or Culinary Competition in Lyon, France, known as the Culinary Olympics.
Shi Wei Dong – “The Workhorse”
Shi Wei Dong is Golden Flower’s Head Sichuan Chef. Chef Shi was most recently the Executive Chef for the Na Jia Restaurant Group, specializing in northern and Manchurian cuisine; prior to that, he was the Assistant Chef de Cuisine at the Beijing Grand Hotel.
Chen Hai Song – “The Gentle Giant”
Chen Hai Song is Golden Flower’s Dim Sum Chef. Chef Chen has specialized in all kinds of dim sum during his twenty-year career, which began at the Beijing Grand Hotel, where he served for more than a decade. Chef Chen’s expertise also extends into many noodle dishes, including Sichuanese spicy wontons and various shapes of Shanxi noodles. He is responsible for creating Golden Flower’s northern petit fours, which include the Qing Dynasty Empress’s favorite snacks like Lü Da Guan’r (donkeys rolling in dirt.
Zhang Xiao Xin – “The Artist”
Zhang Xiao Xin is Golden Flower’s Head Cold Kitchen Chef. Chef Zhang has more than 20 years of experience cooking mostly in five-star hotels and has focused on Imperial and Tan cuisine in recent years. He is known as the most artistic of his colleagues, a skill that comes to play in creating Golden Flower’s artful appetizers. In addition to creating Golden Flower’s cold dishes and appetizers, Chef Zhang is responsible for preparing many of the restaurant’s high-end delicacies like shark’s fin, abalone, and bird’s nest.
Ren Jie – “The Kid Brother”
Ren Jie is Golden Flower’s Head Prep Chef. Though Chef Ren is the youngest of the culinary brigade, he has plenty of experience under his belt. In fact, he has an extensive knowledge of Cantonese and Tan cuisine. Chef Ren comes from a family of chefs.
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