“They think Chinese restaurants are supposed to be cheap,” said chef Richard Chen. “[It can be] even cheaper than McDonalds. And you get a nutritious meal that takes a lot of time and effort to prepare, and you get a whole entree coming out. I mean, I’d rather eat that everyday than McDonalds. But the point is, they think the price should be very cheap and low.”
This is the impression Americans have about “Chinese food.” Alum of the Culinary Institute of America (CIA), Chen is known for elevating Chinese cuisine, earning Wing-Lei, at Wynn Las Vegas, one Michelin Star in 2008. It was the first time ever for a Chinese restaurant to earn a Michelin Star in North America. Now, Chen is the executive chef at Red 8, located inside Encore.
Originally from Taiwan, Chen followed in his father’s footsteps by becoming a chef. Since he was seven years old, he has been helping his father’s restaurant business. Chen immigrated to the United States with his family when he was 12 years old. Even during his childhood, he was constantly in the kitchen, helping his father’s restaurant business.
He said, “When I moved to the [U.S.] States when I was 12 years old, every week I started working in the Asian restaurant, I washed dishes at the time. And this time I would be working in the kitchen almost all day long, putting in 80-90 hours a week in the restaurant business. So kind of learning all the fundamentals of making the dumplings from scratch, making the peking duck pancake by scratch.”
From a young age, he had come to understand the foundations of Chinese cooking from his father. “He was actually a really good chef, and I learned a lot of the Asian cooking techniques from when I was little. When I went to the CIA, that’s when I really started learning all these techniques,” said Chen.
Entering high school, he gave some real thought into what he wanted to do in the future. “I realized, ‘Wow I worked every position in the restaurant,’” Chen said. “Every time I see something, I can get it done and really learn every angle of the vision really fast. So I kind of pursue, and want to go into the culinary field.”
Chen also noticed how Chinese restaurants in the U.S. tend to offer the same dishes. “From East Coast to West Coast, almost all the restaurants have the same menu. I wanted to do more than just the regular menu.” With this, he decided to learn about what Western cuisine was all about. He wanted to learn all about the culinary field, and thus enrolled in the CIA. With the training and skills from culinary school, Chen set out to apply his knowledge from Western cuisine into cooking Chinese dishes. “My idea at that time was: what if East meets West?”
He decided to use mostly only fresh ingredients, rather than the canned or processed foods often found in Chinese food. Moreover, he chose to incorporate more local and regional ingredients depending on seasonal availability. “So making changes to the dishes or upgrading the menu is a lot easier. And customers get the benefits of eating fresh ingredients,” Chen said.
Not too long after graduating from culinary school, Chen had been working in a French restaurant, called the Dining Room in Chicago. Chen said, “And one night there, a customer asked me: Richard, do you like working in a Chinese restaurant? Or do you like working in the Western or French restaurants? At that time, my answer was: I love cooking. Period. Doesn’t matter what I make, I enjoy cooking.”
Chen still did give the question some thought and considered which cuisine or style he learned towards more. Then he came to the conclusion that “everybody uses the same ingredients.” It does not matter which cuisine it is, “you look at the ingredients in the walk-in [fridge], it’s really similar. The only difference is the spices used,” Chen said. “I realized that cooking, steam, saute, deep-fry, braise – I mean, most of the cooking methods are the same, just the spice we use at the end to furnish the dishes are a little different.”
His understanding of food is not the only reason for his success. Chen’s job as executive chef extends beyond just cooking. “For me it’s about taking responsibility for the whole restaurant.” According to Chen, focusing about cooking and nothing else is the easy part. “The most challenging part is about the whole dynamic of the business. Here you are looking at the 360 degrees,” he said. To ensure the best quality dishes and highest quality service, Chen trains all the staff everyday, as well as manage the restaurant as a business. “It’s about how you execute it everyday to make sure that we don’t have waste, or high labor cost. It’s about 100% taking ownership of the business.”
Spending most of his time at work, he emphasizes the importance of teamwork and establishing a happy work culture and environment for everyone. “And it’s just about bringing out the best of every individual when they come in… Everyday when I wake up I cannot wait to come inside the restaurant and just get my day started. I want the employees to feel the same way. If we have happy workers, we will have a lot of happy customers.”
Due to the pandemic, the restaurant has adjusted their hours to accommodate slower business. Chen is seizing this opportunity to train the staff in anticipation of opening up normal hours. “So we’re using this time to really refocus and really train the whole mentality of the staff of everybody from bottom to top.”
In celebration of Chinese New Year, Chen has created a special menu available February 11-21. To truly understand his vision and pride, you must try his food yourself. He firmly believes, “you will only truly understand once you have tried my food.”
To read this article in Chinese (Traditional), please click here.
