From South Korea to Sri Lanka, one master chef is spreading the joy of Penang Chinese food.
At 51, Andy Leong is currently the executive Chinese chef at the exclusive Mandarin Oriental in Bangkok, the latest position in a long, eventful culinary career that’s taken him all over the world. A classic “Penang Boy Makes Good Overseas” story, Leong is also part of the new celebrity chef wave, serving as chief judge on Thailand’s Iron Chef competition. You’d think he’d have nothing to prove anymore at this point.
But here he is, sitting with us at Gurney Paragon one morning, ready to fly back to Bangkok later in the day, having just completed a press tour for his most recent achievement: leading a team of Penang chefs to the gold medal at the third Thailand Culinary World Challenge.
2015. His team was named by a panel of judges as the Best Country of Origin Cuisine Team and overall champion, and the press tour was a victory parade of sorts. Malaysia had sent teams in the first two competitions, both of which came home empty-handed. Until now.
