Honorary Advisors

Chef Majed Al Sabagh, a renowned culinary expert, Certified Master Chef, and Approved International Judge at Worldchefs, Vice-President at the Emirates Culinary Guild, President at the Syrian Culinary Guild, and founder of the Chef Training and Consultancy in Dubai, has made a significant impact on the Middle Eastern culinary scene.
 
Born in Syria, he studied hotel management before excelling in prestigious five-star establishments in Dubai, UAE.  As the founder of the Chef Training and Consultancy in Dubai, he has provided comprehensive training programmes to nurture hospitality talent.  His media presence, including a popular cooking programme on Sharjah TV, has showcased his culinary prowess.  Co-founding the Syrian Culinary Guild and serving as its President, he supports and represents Syrian and Arabic chefs worldwide.
 
His blend of artistry, business acumen, and exceptional leadership has established him as a visionary in the culinary world.
 

Being crowned the World Pastry Champion in 2019 (Coupe du Monde de la Patisserie) and achieving the title of Asian Pastry Champion in both 2018 and 2014, Pastry Chef Wei Loon Tan has undoubtedly earned a place among the finest in Asia.  Currently serving as the Director of Pastry Studies at the Academy of Pastry and Culinary Arts (APCA) Malaysia, he has consistently represented the Malaysian National Team in numerous international pastry competitions.
 
His exceptional expertise extends to various areas, including modern French pastry, sugar art, airbrush techniques, chocolate displays, and praline making.  In addition to competing in the Coupe du Monde de la Patisserie 2015 and securing a remarkable 4^th place globally, he has also taken on the role of coaching the Malaysian National Team for the Coupe du Monde de la Patisserie 2017 in Lyon.
 
Driven by a vision to introduce the most exquisite desserts to the Asian market, he founded Enchanté Patisserie in Malaysia in 2019.  By infusing European pastry techniques with the unique flavours of the local Malaysian palate, he has successfully raised the quality standards of the dessert scene in Asia, setting a new benchmark for excellence.
 

Born in France to a family of pastry chefs, Christophe Morel is an internationally renowned master artisan chocolatier. His passion for chocolate and his knowledge of blending flavors, coupled with his talent and creativity have propelled him into the limelight as a pastry chef and chocolatier starting at a young age.
 

Recipient of numerous honors such as winner in the Grand Prix Canadien de la Chocolaterie in 2003 and First Prize in the Coupe du Monde de Pâtisserie de Lyon in 2005, he continues to dazzle the eye and treat the palate. Chef Morel has been the Canadian World Chocolate Master twice, and he was also a finalist for the prestigious title of Meilleur Ouvrier de France (MOF) in 2011. World known for his talent for chocolate sculptures, he has been the owner of his own chocolate brand based in Montréal, Canada since 2005, establishing himself as one of the most passionate ambassadors of the chocolate planet.

With a highly impressive career, Sarah Heller, the wine expert who was born and raised in Hong Kong, has partnered with high-profile wine brands, sat on esteemed wine education boards, served as a judge in notable wine competitions, hosted wine-themed TV shows, and penned widely read articles.  As a speaker, she has sought after for her insights on the wine market, and her educational resources on wine appreciation have reached millions. 
 
Most notably, she is one of a very select few to have passed the world’s most stringent wine examination in the world - The Institute of Masters of Wine - which she achieved at the remarkable age of 29, making her the world’s youngest female Master of Wine at the time.

Received the Best Chef Award in 2017, Joan Roca is known for his cuisine inspired by traditional Mediterranean cuisine and reinterpreted in a modern and creative style in total freedom, as well as for his early work in research and promotion of sous-vide cooking. 

With a family history of three generations in the restaurant business, Chef Joan partners with his brothers Josep and Jordi Roca to form the legendary trio behind the acclaimed El Celler de Can Roca.  The restaurant was awarded its first Michelin star in 1995, its second in 2002 and a third in 2009.  With passion and creativity of the Brothers which form the foundation for the success of the restaurant, El Celler de Can Roca has always been on the top list of the World’s 50 Best Restaurant Awards and twice ranked the World’s No. 1 restaurant.

Virgilio Martínez is one of the most talented chefs in the world and champion of contemporary Peruvian cuisine renowned for his pioneering use of ingredients and presenting dishes according to the vertical altitude at which each element is found.  

After his culinary training at Le Cordon Bleu in Ottawa and London, Chef Martínez worked at well-known restaurants in New York City, Sant Celoni, Bogotá and Madrid.  In 2012, he opened Senzo in Cuzco, Peru and Lima in Fitzrovia, London which received a Michelin star in 2014. The same year, Lima Floral was opened in the Covent Garden district of London.  A showcase of Chef’s Martínez’s culinary philosophy, his flagship restaurant, Central, which first entered “The World’s 50 Best Restaurants” in 2013, is voted  “The Best Restaurant in South America in 2018” and ranked number 6 in “The World’s 50 Best Restaurant Awards 2018”.  2018 sees the expansion of Chef Martínez’s footprint in Asia by opening his first restaurant, Ichu Peru, in Hong Kong.

Umberto Bombana is an iconic figure in the culinary industry.  He is recognized for his culinary excellence and has received many international awards including the Best Italian Chef in Asia by the Italian Culinary Institute for Foreigners (ICIF). 

Chef Bombana started his culinary venture in Hong Kong in 1993 and managed Toscana in the Ritz Carlton Hong Kong until the hotel closed in 2008.  After 15 years at the Ritz Carlton Hong Kong, he began his personal and distinctive project - 8½ Otto e Mezzo BOMBANA, one of Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants 2018. The restaurant was awarded two Michelin stars in December 2010 and three stars from 2012 and became the first and only Italian restaurant outside Italy to receive such high recognition. 

Adding to his long list of accolade, Chef Bombana was also presented with The Diners Club® Lifetime Achievement Award – Asia in 2017 by The Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants Awards. In 2017, he was also awarded the Order of Merit from the Italian Republic (OMRI, Ordine al Merito della Repubblica Italiana) which is the country’s highest ranking award. This is to acknowledge Chef Bombana for all the merits he has acquired over the last 20 years in promoting authentic Italian cuisine in Hong Kong. He is praised as a veritable Ambassador of the Italian taste in the world.

Lanshu Chen embarked on her career as a professional chef under the guidance of famous chefs such as Pierre Hermé and Thomas Keller after completing her culinary education at the Ferrandi School of Culinary Arts and pastry training at Le Cordon Bleu in France. Chef Chen was awarded Veuve Clicquot Asia's Best Female Chef in 2014 and “Woman of the Year Trophy” 2016 by Relais & Châteaux. She was also the first Chinese in French culinary discipline to achieve the title of “Grand Chef Relais & Châteaux" and the first female Grand Chef in Asia. 

Chef Chen opened her restaurant, Le Moût, in 2008, featuring contemporary French haute cuisine that is firmly rooted in her Taiwanese culture.  It has also been recognised as the restaurant of “Grand Chef Relais & Châteaux” since 2011, one of the best French restaurants by Goût de France in 2015, one of Asia’s Best 50 Restaurants in 2014 - 2017 and Best Restaurant in Taiwan in 2014 - 2016.  Notwithstanding the impending closure of Le Moût in end 2018, Chef Chen has left an indelible mark on Asia's culinary scene.

Entrepreneur and owner of Boragó - one of the World’s 50 Best Restaurants and The Best Restaurant in Chile 2017, Chilean Chef Rodolfo Guzmán has a reputation for his consistent and high quality of culinary innovations. Chef Guzmán's creative use of local produce has inspired many chefs around the world and earned him the honour of 2015 Chef’s Choice Award.

Chef Guzmán returned to his roots to open Boragó in 2006 after having worked in Mugaritz, Spain's Basque country. Showing great respect to nature and the deep-rooted Chilean culinary culture, Chef Guzmán uses natural ingredients foraged on Chile's extreme terrain, forests and seas in his gastronomy and transforms them into exceptional delicacies that lure the most discerning palate.  He has collaborated with more than 200 foragers and producers in Chile and dedicated himself to documenting the uses of ingredients by the native Chilean community. Chef Guzmán has showcased to the world the diversity and beauty of unique Chilean products with strong cultural legacy and takes centre stage in the shaping of future Chilean cuisine. 

A Dutch national, Master Chef Richard Ekkebus is the Culinary Director of The Landmark Mandarin Oriental, Hong Kong, overseeing the culinary operations of the hotel, including the 2 Michelin-star fine dining restaurant Amber. Under his leadership since 2005, Amber prides itself for its exquisite contemporary French cuisine and ranked no.7 in Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants 2018, and was voted the “Best Restaurant in China”.

Chef Ekkebus started his culinary career as an apprentice under Michelin-star chefs Hans Snijders and Robert Kranenborg in the Netherlands. He further honed his skills under the guidance of French culinary legends Pierre Gagnaire, Alain Passard and Guy Savoy. To impress the most discerning gourmands, Chef Ekkebus prepares his cuisine only with the best and freshest natural produce from all over the World. 

French master chef Alain Passard, Owner of Arpège, 3 Michelin star restaurant since 1996 which enters the top 10 in 2018, has won the hearts of discerning gourmet for his delicate cuisine which uses the freshest produce from his organic farms. He received The Diners Club Lifetime Achievement Award in 2016.

Chef Passard is a Rotisserie-turned-vegetables-cuisine chef who has set the trend towards healthy food.  He is known for his creativity and enthusiasm in developing refined dishes with fresh vegetables and fruits as the main ingredients.  With the resumption of meat in his menu in recent years, Chef Passard has taken gourmet’s dining experience to new height and remains one of the most sought-after culinary legends in the world.