Richard Chen facts for kids

Richard Chen is a famous chef. He used to be the head chef at Wing Lei. This is a well-known Chinese restaurant. It is located inside the Wynn Las Vegas hotel.

Early Life and Learning

Richard Chen started learning about cooking very young. He was only seven years old. His parents owned a restaurant in Taiwan. He helped them there.

Later, his family moved to the United States. They opened a new restaurant near Chicago. Richard kept helping his parents. He learned a lot about the restaurant business.

He then went to a special school for chefs. It was the Culinary Institute of America. This school is in Hyde Park, New York. He learned many cooking skills there.

Becoming a Top Chef

In 1986, Richard Chen became a chef at the La Vista International Hotel. This hotel later became the Marriott World Trade Center.

After that, he went back to Chicago. He worked as a chef at the Ritz-Carlton Chicago. Here, he focused on a style called Euro-French cuisine. This is a mix of European and French cooking.

In 2002, Chen became the head chef and manager. He worked at Shanghai Terrace. This restaurant served fusion food. Fusion food mixes different cooking styles. Shanghai Terrace was at The Peninsula Chicago.

Chicago magazine called it one of the "Best New Restaurants" in 2002. Also, Zagat listed it for "Top Food, Service and Décor."

Leading Wing Lei Restaurant

While working at Shanghai Terrace, Chen also became the executive chef of Wing Lei. This happened on April 28, 2005. Steve Wynn, a famous businessman, personally asked him to join.

Wing Lei became very famous. The 2008 Las Vegas Michelin Guide gave it one star. This was a big honor. It was the only Chinese restaurant in North America to get a Michelin star.

Wing Lei also won the 2008 AAA Four Diamond award. The name Wing Lei means "forever prosperous" in Chinese. It comes from the Chinese character for Wynn.

His Own Restaurant Dream

Richard Chen married Cathy Yee in 2006. Cathy also owns a Chinese restaurant. It is called Ya Fei. It is in the Robinson area of Pittsburgh. Cathy was named "Restaurateur of the Year" by Pittsburgh Magazine.

On August 1, 2008, Chen opened his own restaurant. It was called Richard Chen Pan Asian Cuisine. It was in the East Liberty neighborhood of Pittsburgh. His wife Cathy was a co-owner.

The restaurant offered fancy Pan-Asian food. It had a modern design. It could seat 120 people. Even though it was open for only nine months, it became very popular. It was a semi-finalist for "best new restaurant" for the 2009 James Beard Foundation Award.

Sadly, the restaurant closed on April 30, 2009. This was due to money problems. Pittsburgh Magazine readers voted it the "Worst Loss to the Local Dining Scene" in 2009.

In May 2011, Chen left Wing Lei. He moved to Amarillo, Texas. There, he started a new restaurant called Kushi Yama.

A Unique Cooking Style

Richard Chen often talks about his cooking style. He makes light Chinese dishes. These dishes are influenced by French cooking. They need very careful cooking skills. He explains how different his food is from common Chinese take-out food.