Executive Chef Lambert Chiang, an Indian national, has 13 years of culinary experience, six of which are in the UAE.
Can you give us a glimpse of your career journey so far?
I come from a family of restaurateurs; at an early age, I started helping out in my parents’ restaurant. Over the years, I began developing a liking for cooking and, as I grew older, I decided to do it professionally and joined a culinary school in India – it hasn’t stopped since then.
Starting out as a management trainee, I then became junior sous chef and sous chef with Starwood hotels in various properties in India. I moved to Dubai in 2015 as head chef with IHG and worked my way up to an executive sous chef role with Hilton, and now executive chef at Soho Garden.
While working with Liwa Minor, I got the chance to set up many cafés and restaurants, which has given me more opportunities for my journey as a chef.
What’s your favourite dish to eat and why?
Grilled and raw seafood; there’s zero guilt eating them.
What are you cooking up today? Tell us more about the dish.
It’s a playful take on the classic English dessert banoffee pie. I like to call it banoffee taco…
As a chef, what are the top ingredients and products you’re using these days?
Top ingredients I’m using include fresh seafood (both local catches and imports from Japan), herbs, and lettuce to name a few. Plus, of course, Nestlé’s dessert mixes.
What are some of the most recent important food trends you can tell us about?
Chefs are trying to learn more about veganism, as this seems to be what everyone wants these days.
What would you advise suppliers and foodservice professionals who are looking to offer their best to the market and meet demand?
Focus on quality and price, as these are the two most important things I look for.
