At 15, most Hong Kong teenagers are fretting over exams. At that age, Kan Wong, the newly appointed executive Chinese chef at Celestial Court at the Sheraton Hong Kong Hotel & Towers, was up to his elbows in a wok, learning a lesson his father never intended to teach.<\/p>\n
\u201cI started helping my dad out in the kitchen when I was only nine years old,\u201d he says. \u201cHe thought it would teach me a lesson so I would study harder at school. But I fell in love with the work.\u201d<\/p>\n
Born into a working-class family in Tai Po, in Hong Kong\u2019s New Territories, Wong has spent 35 years working in the city\u2019s most prestigious kitchens.<\/p>\n
He grew up around cooking \u2013 his father and his uncle were both head chefs at local Chinese restaurants \u2013 and had his sights set on the most revered role.<\/p>\n
\u201cOf course I wanted to work the wok station,\u201d he says with a smile. \u201cIt\u2019s the coolest position in a Chinese kitchen. You look cool while working the wok. It\u2019s usually the most desired role to aspire to.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"Steamed](\"https:\/\/img.i-scmp.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/fit=contain,width=1024,format=auto\/sites\/default\/files\/d8\/images\/canvas\/2026\/04\/27\/16a64d4b-ded9-45a1-9c3f-8a2853863676_d4fcc2e9.jpg\" "\\"Steamed")
<\/div>Despite his upbringing surrounded by chefs, Wong says he did not always have a taste for fine food.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n