André Chiang has been awarded The Diners Club® Lifetime Achievement Award – Asia for 2018.
Chiang is the chef and owner of Restaurant André (now closed) in Singapore and Raw in Taipei and says he is honoured to be the first Chinese chef to receive the award.
Chiang will be presented with the award at the sixth annual Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants awards ceremony on 27 March in Macao.
“My focus has always been to put Asia on the culinary world map, and this recognition reinforces that goal,” says Chiang. “I will remember this moment forever.”
The award is part of the Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants awards program and was voted for by members of Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants Academy, comprising more than 300 leaders in the restaurant and culinary industries throughout Asia.
“André Chiang is among the world’s most respected, prominent and successful chefs, and the coveted Diners Club® Lifetime Achievement Award is an honour that reflects his culinary journey to date,” says William Drew, group editor of Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants. “We look forward to seeing the direction he will take in the next phase of his already stellar career.”
Chiang left school at 13 to train alongside his mother in her Chinese restaurant in Japan. After two years learning about Chinese cooking and Japanese cuisine, he left to continue his culinary education in Europe.
Relocating to Montpellier, France, he was mentored by Jacques and Laurent Pourcel at the acclaimed Le Jardin des Sens. During his 14 years in France, Chiang mastered French techniques while working with chefs including Pierre Gagnaire, Michel Troisgros and Jöel Robuchon.
Returning to Asia, Chiang settled in Singapore and in 2008 opened Jaan par André, a fine-dining French restaurant at Swissôtel The Stamford. Restaurant André opened in Singapore’s Chinatown distict in 2010. However, last October, Chiang announced he would close the doors for good in February and move back to Taiwan.
In his official statement, Chiang stated his intention “to focus on educating, developing others … and providing young chefs with a better education and culinary culture,” he says.