From the day I met LK Hospitality’s CEO Stephen Nairn, we had great synergy and immediately understood each other on a professional level. That initial chemistry was really important. We share the same vision of where we want Yugen and Omnia to go in the next three to five years.
I was born in Melbourne, but my family moved back to Singapore when I was three years old. I spent my formative years in Singapore. After graduating from Singapore’s At-Sunrice GlobalChef Academy, I landed a job with Joël Robuchon at his flagship restaurant. I was there for two years before moving on to Jason Atherton’s Pollen Restaurant at Gardens by the Bay with my mentor Andres Lara.
In 2013 I had the opportunity to return to Melbourne for a stint at The European. I soon found my way to Tonka and Coda with Adam D’Sylva, where I worked for eight years, progressing from head pastry chef of Tonka to group executive pastry chef and finally head chef during my last two years there. I learned a lot. I never thought a pastry chef would end up running the pass and a kitchen full of savoury chefs. It was a great opportunity.
After a stint at The Ritz-Carlton Melbourne, I took a year off to step back, refocus, and find inspiration. I think it was good for me to stop and work out what I wanted to do with my career. It was during this period that I was head hunted for the role of executive pastry chef at LK Hospitality’s Yugen and Omnia. Omnia and Yugen have amazing reputations in Melbourne.
The menus are incredible, and the chefs are amazing. Working across two venues where both offerings are so different felt like a great opportunity for me to enhance and build on my skill set while exploring a different cuisine to Tonka. Yugen’s South East Asian and Japanese concept is where I feel most at home, while Omnia gives me the chance to work with incredible produce.
I’m comfortable with creativity, so preparing for the role meant a lot of reading and research. It’s been really fun to create new concepts through the group. Recently, I conceptualised an Asian-inspired dessert buffet table for the group’s function space, Bromley. It gave me a chance to get inspired by my roots. We included black sesame macarons, kaya choux buns — which bring back great childhood memories of kaya toast — mandarin ginger bonbons, and mango tartlets. The role has presented me with the challenge of growing into a group that is constantly evolving.
It’s been about getting to know Yugen and Omnia’s front- and back-of-house teams and the pastry team as well. At the end of the day, we work in a people-orientated business. The previous pastry chef, John Demetrios, did incredible things. Hopefully I can continue growing the foundations he put in place.
Kay-Lene Tan
