André Chiang facts for kids

André Chiang (Chinese: 江振誠; pinyin: Jiāng Zhènchéng) is a famous chef from Taiwan. He was born on April 27, 1976. He owns several popular restaurants. He used to be the head chef at Le Jardin des Sens in France. This restaurant had three Michelin stars, which are like top awards for restaurants.

Chef Chiang is known for his "Octo-philosophy." This is a special way of thinking about food. It uses eight main ideas to create his dishes. In 2017, his restaurant, Restaurant André, was named the best in Singapore. It also ranked as the second-best restaurant in Asia. This was according to Restaurant magazine. His restaurant had two Michelin stars.

Early Life and First Steps

André Chiang was born in Taiwan. He spent his early years in Japan. There, he learned to cook from his mother. He first thought he would take over the family business. But he soon realized his ideas were bigger than that. He wanted to learn about foods from other countries. He especially wanted to learn French cuisine. He felt it was the hardest to master.

Becoming a Top Chef

Chiang moved to France. He planned to stay for only a short time. But he ended up living there for 15 years. He got a job at Le Jardin des Sens. This restaurant had three Michelin stars. It was run by Jacques and Laurent Pourcel. André did not even speak French at the time.

For the next nine years, Chiang worked very hard. He moved up to become the chef de cuisine. This means he was the main chef in the kitchen. While in France, he also worked in other famous kitchens. These included La Maison Troisgros and L'Atelier de Joël Robuchon. He also worked at Restaurant Pierre Gagnaire.

Finding His Own Style

After France, Chiang worked at the Maia Luxury Resort. This resort is in the Seychelles. He later said this move helped him find his own cooking style. He felt he had lost it while working in French restaurants. During this time, he created his "Octo-philosophy." This is his way of preparing dishes. It has eight elements: "pure, salt, artisan, south, texture, unique, memory and terroir". Terroir means the special taste that comes from where food grows. He explained that "pure" means serving food without too much seasoning. Each part of the dish should naturally taste good together.

One dish, called "Memory," is very special to him. He created it in 1997. He has kept it the same ever since. It is a warm foie gras jelly with a black truffle sauce. Chiang calls it a "pure André dish." It was the first dish he created all by himself.

Famous Restaurants

In 2008, he opened Jaan par André in Singapore. It was located at the Swissôtel The Stamford. After 18 months, his restaurant was ranked 39th in The World's 50 Best Restaurants. In 2010, he closed Jaan par André. He then opened Restaurant André in the Bukit Pasoh area of Singapore.

At Restaurant André, he and his team made a new menu every day. They used the freshest ingredients from the markets. This made them think creatively about their dishes. Chef Chiang announced that Restaurant André would close in October 2017. It served its last meals in February 2018.

In 2014, Chiang opened another restaurant. It is called RAW. This restaurant is in Taipei, Taiwan.

Awards and Recognition

While at Jaan par André, Chef Chiang won an award. He was named the Rising Chef of the Year in 2009. This was at the World Gourmet Summit Awards of Excellence.

His restaurant, Restaurant André, was often in the top 10. This was on Restaurant magazine's list of the top 50 restaurants in Asia. It has been on this list since 2013. In 2017, it was named the best restaurant in Singapore. It was also the second-best in Asia. His Taipei restaurant, RAW, was also recognized. It was named the best restaurant in Taiwan. It ranked 24th in Asia on the same list.