Dan Hong facts for kids
Dan Hong (born 1982) is an Australian chef, restaurant owner, and television host. He is the main chef for several restaurants that belong to the Merivale group.
Early Life and Cooking Start
Dan Hong's parents were born in Vietnam. His mother, Angie, came to Australia through the Colombo Plan, which helped students from Asian countries study abroad. She studied chemical engineering. His father was also a student, studying electrical engineering. Later, his parents opened several Vietnamese restaurants in Sydney called Thanh Binh.
Dan went to Epping West Public School and Barker College. He wasn't very interested in school. After attending a cooking school in Chatswood, he started training at the InterContinental Hotel. He then continued his cooking training at other famous restaurants like Longrain, Pello Restaurant, and Marque.
Becoming a Top Chef
After finishing his training, Dan Hong worked at some of Australia's best restaurants. He joined Tetsuya's, a very famous restaurant, as a chef who manages a specific part of the kitchen (a chef de partie). He then became a second-in-command chef (a sous chef) at Bentley Restaurant and Bar.
Dan also gained experience in New York, working with chef Wylie Dufresne at his restaurant wd~50. When he returned to Australia, he became the main chef (a head chef) at Lotus.
In 2008, Dan Hong won a special award called the Josephine Pignolet Young Chef of the Year Award. This award recognizes talented young chefs.
Restaurants and TV Shows
Today, Dan Hong is the head chef for many popular restaurants. These include Ms G's, Mr Wong, Papi Chulo, and El Loco. His restaurant, Mr Wong, has won many awards and "hats," which are like stars for restaurants in Australia.
Dan Hong has also become a familiar face on television. In 2016, he hosted an ABC iview show called Shelfie. On this show, he visited the kitchens of everyday Australians. He is also a co-host and judge on the Australian cooking competition The Chefs' Line, alongside Melissa Leong and Mark Olive. In August 2022, a show called The Streets with Dan Hong aired on SBS Food. In this series, Dan travels around the world to explore different kinds of street food.
