074 A Conversation with Michelin Starred Pastry Chef Monique Chan

Ever wonder what it’s like to work inside the finest restaurants in the world? I have!

Today, Michelin-starred pastry chef Monique Chan is giving us a firsthand look inside two famous restaurants completely across the globe from one another.

At the The French Laundry in California, which was called “The best restaurant in the world, period” by Anthony Bourdain. Monique was tasked with the all-important chocolate station and granted creative freedom to completely redesign their bon-bon menu.

From there, Monique moved to Hong Kong, a homecoming of sorts for this daughter of two immigrants to the US from Hong Kong. Monique was part of the “start-up team” launching Ecriture with the immediate goal of achieving 2 Michelin stars - a goal which they achieved.

As fascinating at this look inside restaurants may be, I promise you’ll be most captivated by Monique’s humility and vulnerability. We explore the spiritual journey that accompanied the journey of her career, as well as her most recent efforts to raise money for racial justice through her personal brand, Chez Momo.

And finally - look out for a bonus episode this Friday where we explore to uneasy relationship between creativity and productivity. (Oh, and p.s. Monique shared her croissant recipe with us and wraps up the conversation with some helpful feedback about what I did wrong!)

Thank you, every single listener for being here, and welcome Monique!

Highlights

The spiritual journey that accompanied her career journey
LA -> Paris -> LA -> Hong Kong -> LA – Australia -> Current
“I see you running, running hard. Maybe you need to rest.”
The democratic nature of the kitchen
The physical and psychological toll of working as a chef
What gave Monique the ability to function well under stress
Reconciling a Secular/Liberal/Caucasian Environment and Christian/Conservative/Asian Environment
Moving to Hong Kong, a home culture that wasn’t “home”
The Michelin Review Process – How do you earn stars?
Earning 2 Stars in a record-breaking 7 months
Love expressed as “an unrelenting provision of food”
Why Monique, as an Asian-American woman, chose to start a non-profit baking business to support Black Lives Matter