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The Hindu :
Walter Chung’s father declared that he was an “outstanding” student when he was 12 years old. At school in Kolkata, Walter was always ‘standing out’ of his class. His father was scared and packed him off to train at Flor
a Restaurant, where he began with washing plates. He says: “The Chinese were always wary of famines. So, my father who felt I’ll starve to death thought I’ll be safest working in a kitchen. He knew I’ll never grow hungry as I’d always have food to eat!”

Then, Walter started picking up his own tricks of the trade. Like something of an exotic Amy Tan novel he says: “I knew which chef to follow and which to avoid – judging by the plates I was washing. If there was some food left, then I didn’t look up to him. And clean, polished off plates meant that the chef was good and the customer happy!”

Walter left a long food trail and packed his bags to arrive in Bangalore in ’85. He assisted his uncle in his restaurant “Canton” for three years before he joined the Grand Ashok. “I felt I needed to know more and explore my culinary skills. In the hotel, the menu was large and went beyond ‘niche’ chefs who, for their whole lives just know how to make fried rice, momos, chilli chicken or sweet corn and perfect on it.” And in ’88, he was involved in establishing his cousin’s restaurant Chung Wah. It was in ’94 that he started his first restaurant, Kim Lee, in Rajajinagar along with his brother.

He declares: “Meet me at seven in the morning or 11 at night, I will still greet and welcome you to my restaurant and serve you well-prepared food.” The dynamic cook says he trains his staff to keep their passion soaring high, whether it is the beginning of the day or closing…More