Alec Khoo – Chinese Executive Chef at Four Seasons Hotel Singapore
In this interview, Alec Khoo, Chinese Executive Chef at Four Seasons Hotel Singapore, shares some insight into hospitality careers.
What do you do?
I’m the Executive Chinese Chef for Jiang-Nan Chun in Four Seasons Hotel Singapore, specialising in Cantonese Cuisine.
How did you get into the industry?
I’ve always liked cooking and have a passion for food.
Share with us a story from behind the scenes.
I was inspired by my mother and grandma to pursue my career in the culinary industry.
What food memory from your childhood or travels stands out?
I’m from Penang, Malaysia, so I often reminisce about having street food from Penang.
What’s the best/ worst part of your job?
It’s great to have a job that is also my hobby, and the best part is being able to cook and taste the different kinds of savoury flavours.
Alec Khoo’s favourite food?
Jiang-Nan Chun’s Peking Duck
What’s one of the most fun things you’ve seen behind the scenes?
The most fun I’ve had is working with the team and exploring the journey of each dish and ingredient. Being a chef is very interesting.
The perfect day off would be…
Swimming and shopping at the local market.
A day in the life of an Alec Khoo is …
Facing a new challenge every day
What does Alec Khoo do for fun?
Create new dishes.
What would you like guests to know about Jiang-Nan Chun?
Come to Jiang-Nan Chun to experience unforgettable dishes and tastes at the Four Seasons Singapore Hotel.
How have you grown in your profession? What have you learned from your start in the industry until now? Are there misconceptions?
It has been a long journey till today, and the most important thing is to have passion for what you do. Without passion, anyone could quickly lose their goals and targets in life.
What do you want people to know about being an Executive Chinese Chef as a profession?
You spend a long time perfecting your techniques to achieve wok hei (breath of the wok), and holding on to the treasured memories of having the opportunity to taste the finest foods.
What’s your view on the culinary scene in Singapore?
It is getting much more challenging to be a chef today than it was in the past. Now, we hold much greater responsibility as executive chefs.
What practices do you currently implement or hope to implement to work towards social responsibility and sustainability in the future?
Nowadays, people have easy access to fast food. I hope to preserve traditional dishes and tastes and to impart my skills and knowledge to the next generation.
What can guests look forward to in the upcoming months?
We always make something new for festivities, so look out for our latest celebratory menus.
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