Vicky Cheng, Chef Pam, Fabrizio Ferrari, Ellia Park and Jay Khan will take to the stage
On Monday 24 March, leading chefs and bartenders from across Asia will meet in Seoul at Floating Island Convention to share their thoughts on the Asian wave sweeping the globe as part of #50BestTalks.
The chef-owner of Wing in Hong Kong, Vicky Cheng, will join Pichaya ‘Pam’ Soontornyanakij of Potong in Bangkok, Fabrizio Ferrari – professor, YouTuber and chef-owner of Fabri Kitchen in Seoul – along with Ellia Park, co-owner of Na:eun Hospitality in New York, and Jay Khan, the founder of Coa and The Savory Project bars in Hong Kong, in the impressive line-up.
From street food markets to fine-dining restaurants, the flavours of Asia have found their way into kitchens – and diners’ hearts – worldwide. Asia’s myriad cuisines have transcended their geographical origins to become a collective global culinary phenomenon, which has grown exponentially in recent years.
This year’s live thought-leadership event explores the cultural, economic and culinary factors that have contributed to the worldwide rise of Asian food and drink, as well as the challenges and opportunities that come with this expansion.
Since 2014, #50BestTalks has seen countless chefs, restaurateurs, sommeliers and bartenders dig into the hottest topics in gastronomy. Now learn more about this year’s speakers:
Authenticity vs. adaptation: catering to new palates
Vicky Cheng, chef-owner of Wing, Hong Kong
Born in Hong Kong but raised in Canada, Vicky Cheng studied classical French cooking in Toronto. He worked under chefs Jason Bangerter at Auberge du Pommier and Anthony Walsh at Canoe, before heading to New York to work at Daniel Boulud’s Daniel, aged 21. In 2011, he moved to Hong Kong, working as executive chef at Liberty Private Works, before opening Vea in 2015 with his now renowned Chinese/French culinary philosophy. The success led to Cheng opening Wing in 2021, which focuses on contemporary Chinese cuisine that simultaneously pays homage to his heritage, but utilising modern techniques. Wing ranked No.5 in Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants 2024 and No.20 on The World’s 50 Best Restaurants 2024. Cheng will explore how chefs balance authenticity with local tastes. Should Asian cuisine be adapted, or should diners be encouraged to embrace traditional flavours?
Food microclimates
Pichaya ‘Pam’ Soontornyanakij, chef-owner of Potong, Bangkok
Originally training to become a journalist, Pichaya ‘Pam’ Soontornyanakij – Asia’s Best Female Chef 2024 – instead pivoted to cooking. She won a young chef award aged 21, before moving to New York to study at the Culinary Institute of America and train under renowned chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten. She returned home, became a judge on Top Chef Thailand and established The Table restaurant and private dining experience. Throughout her career, she had often pondered the idea of her own dream restaurant and eventually set her heart on Potong, which involved an extensive renovation project undertaken in partnership with her husband. Chef Pam will delve into food microclimates and the notion that although Thai food is often placed under one bracket, there are so many regional cuisines to discover.
The reality of cooking
Fabrizio Ferrari, professor, YouTuber and chef-owner of Fabri Kitchen, Seoul
Despite being raised in and around kitchens, Fabrizio Ferrari graduated in law before ever donning a chef’s jacket. He worked at Noma in Copenhagen, Uliassi in Senigallia and Piazza Duomo in Alba before opening his own restaurant, Al Porticciolo 84, on Lake Como. After being introduced to Korean flavours through his sous chefs, Ferrari eventually won the Global Taste of Korea contest held in Milan in 2016. Just three years later, he swapped the Italian lakes for South Korea. Since then, he has appeared on popular TV show, The Genius Paik, taught at Woosong University in Daejeon, appeared on the 2024 series of Netflix’s Culinary Class Wars, and currently teaches culinary studies at Sejong University in Seoul, as well as running a successful YouTube channel and heading up his restaurant, Fabri’s Kitchen. He will discuss how reality cooking shows have shaped perceptions of Asian cuisine and introduced different flavours to new audiences.
New Korean Cuisine in New York City
Ellia Park, owner of Na:eun Hospitality, New York
The co-founder and CEO of Na:eun Hospitality, a prominent New York-based restaurant group known for redefining Korean cuisine in the United States, was born and raised in Seoul. Ellia Park developed an early love for food, influenced by her family’s traditional cooking and turned her passion into her study, earning a culinary science degree. Shortly after marrying chef Junghyun ‘JP’ Park, the couple relocated to New York in 2011, as JP had a job at renowned restaurant Jungsik. It wasn’t meant to be a long-term move, but the couple loved it and opened Atoboy in 2016, followed by Atomix – No.6 in The World’s 50 Best Restaurants 2024 list – in 2018, and Naro in 2022. As CEO, Park oversees management across the restaurant group, with Atomix receiving the Gin Mare Art of Hospitality Award at The World’s 50 Best Restaurants 2022. The culinary power couple has successfully brought Asian culture (beyond the plate) to the world.
Asian culinary cocktails and sustainability
Jay Khan, founder of Coa Hong Kong and Shanghai, and The Savory Project, Hong Kong
Khan grew up in Hong Kong but has enjoyed a career that has taken him all over the world. After being inspired working as a waiter in a flair cocktail bar in his late teens, he caught the bartending bug. He has worked in Macau, Singapore and Melbourne, but it wasn’t until he first tried mezcal in 2010 that he found his true calling. He opened Coa in Hong Kong in 2017, the first-ever bar to be awarded the coveted No.1 position in Asia’s 50 Best Bars three times. He went on to open The Savory Project in May 2023 with Ajit Gurung, which ranked No.19 on Asia’s 50 Best Bars 2024. The bar offers a unique cocktail experience that emphasises savoury, earthy and umami flavours, with innovative drinks such as Thai Beef Salad and Teriyaki. Khan will discuss the rise of Asian culinary cocktails and how to recreate the flavours of people’s favourite dishes – in a drink.
The full list of Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants 2025 will be revealed on 25 March from Seoul.
