{"id":52591,"date":"2026-05-15T18:19:54","date_gmt":"2026-05-15T10:19:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/?p=52591"},"modified":"2026-05-15T18:19:54","modified_gmt":"2026-05-15T10:19:54","slug":"3-young-chefs-helping-to-define-shenzhens-new-fine-dining-wave","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/?p=52591","title":{"rendered":"3 young chefs helping to define Shenzhen\u2019s new fine dining wave"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Shenzhen is a young city, still less than 50 years old despite its rapid growth in size and scale. If the city is young, its fine dining scene is still in nappies by comparison \u2013 there wasn\u2019t much money for tasting menus back in the early days. But now, the city is increasingly gaining renown as an exciting dining destination \u2013 not just for cheap family meals at the weekend, but also at the high end of the market.<\/p>\n
We speak to three young chefs making their mark on Shenzhen\u2019s fine dining scene. Their distinct culinary perspectives and philosophies on redefining gastronomy are expanding the city\u2019s conception of what good eating can mean.<\/p>\n
Reina Chen, Fum\u00e9e<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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<\/div>Reina Chen from Fum\u00e9e. Photo: Handout<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
Fum\u00e9e\u2019s Reina Chen is quickly establishing herself as a pioneering force in Shenzhen\u2019s fine dining scene. Cooking was not her first career. \u201cI grew up watching the Food Network \u2013 Rachael Ray, Bobby Flay, then Iron Chef<\/em>. I would try to recreate their dishes at home.\u201d But instead of heading into restaurant kitchens, she was drawn to another art form: Kunqu opera.<\/p>\n
Chen, now 39, sees parallels between the two disciplines. \u201cBoth require basic knowledge of background and context. Kunqu demands more training to appreciate, but food is universal. To prepare food as beauty, I can also coordinate dishes with aesthetically pleasing crockery and colour combinations.\u201d<\/p>\n
When Chen, a Shanghai native, first arrived in Shenzhen, she noticed the city\u2019s breakneck rhythm. \u201cDespite its rapid development over the past two decades, Shenzhen remains youthful, with a cutthroat pace even faster than Shanghai\u2019s. The food scene moves quickly too, with fierce competition to satisfy guests\u2019 hunger for novelty.\u201d<\/p>\n
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<\/div>The dining counter at Fum\u00e9e. Photo: Handout<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
Fum\u00e9e embraces a \u201cglocal\u201d concept \u2013 global yet local. Chen sees possibilities for expanding Chinese cuisine not through new flavours but through form and presentation. \u201cImagination can take our cuisine far and wide, embracing tradition while creating new ways for conventional flavour combinations that can be shared around the world.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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