Alvin Leung
{{short description|Canadian chef and television personality (born 1961)}}
{{EngvarB|date=June 2017}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2017}}
{{Infobox chef
| name = Alvin Leung
| native_name = 梁經倫
| image = 700247 v9 ba.jpg
| caption = Leung in 2014
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1961|01|01|df=y}}
| birth_place = London, England
| death_date =
| death_place =
| style = X-Treme Chinese{{Cite web| title = Here comes the demon chef: Is London ready for Alvin Leung's 'x-treme Chinese cuisine'?| author = Simon Usborne| work = The Independent| date = 15 November 2012| accessdate = 25 May 2015| url = https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/food-and-drink/features/here-comes-the-demon-chef-is-london-ready-for-alvin-leungs-xtreme-chinese-cuisine-8320565.html}}
| education = University of Toronto
| restaurants = Bo Innovation {{Michelinstar|2}}
R&D
15 Stamford by Alvin Leung
| prevrests =
| television = Around the World in 80 Plates
The Maverick Chef
MasterChef Canada
| website = {{URL|www.boinnovation.com}}
}}
Alvin Leung King-Lon ({{zh|梁經倫}}; born 1 January 1961), is a Canadian chef and television personality. He holds two Michelin stars at his restaurant Bo Innovation and one Michelin star at Bo London. Nicknamed The Demon Chef, he invented his own cuisine named X-Treme Chinese, which includes meals such as an edible condom on a mushroom beach.
His restaurant Bo London, based in Mayfair, London closed after a year in business.{{Cite web|url=http://londoneater.com/2013/03/18/bo-london/|title = Bo London (CLOSED) – London Eater}} Another restaurant, Bo Shanghai was opened in Shanghai, and his fourth, R&D, is located in Toronto.
Leung has appeared as a judge on MasterChef Canada since its debut in 2014.
Career
Born in London, England, Leung moved with his family to Scarborough, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, where he was raised.{{cite news|last=Kühn|first=Kerstin|title=Alvin Leung to open restaurant in London|url=http://www.caterersearch.com/Articles/09/05/2012/343578/Alvin-Leung-to-open-restaurant-in-London.htm|accessdate=17 September 2012|newspaper=Caterer and Hotelkeeper|date=9 May 2012}} His first job in the culinary world was as a waiter, but afterwards trained as an engineer.{{cite news|last=Stamford|first=Janie|title=Alvin Leung – My Life in Hospitality|url=https://www.thecaterer.com/news/restaurant/alvin-leung-my-life-in-hospitality|accessdate=17 September 2012|newspaper=Caterer and Hotelkeeper|date=2 June 2010}} He moved to Hong Kong and purchased a speakeasy called "Bo Inosaki" for £3,000, renaming it Bo Innovation.
A self-taught chef, Leung gave himself the nickname "The Demon Chef", and is known for a style of cooking he calls "X-Treme Chinese".{{cite news|last=Usborne|first=Simon|title=Here comes the sexy chef: Is London ready for Alvin Leung's 'x-treme Chinese cuisine'?|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/food-and-drink/features/here-comes-the-demon-chef-is-london-ready-for-alvin-leungs-xtreme-chinese-cuisine-8320565.html|newspaper=The Independent|date=15 November 2012|accessdate=26 April 2015}} He describes the Demon moniker as coming from the Greek word "Daimôn", meaning "good-spiritedness". X-Treme Chinese is a combination of fusion cuisine and molecular gastronomy, and is meant to show that the food he creates is pushing the limits.{{cite news|title=Interview with Alvin Leung|url=http://www.theworlds50best.com/regional-spotlights/hong-kong/interview-with-alvin-leung/|accessdate=17 September 2012|newspaper=The World's 50 Best Restaurants|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121017033059/http://www.theworlds50best.com/regional-spotlights/hong-kong/interview-with-alvin-leung/|archive-date=17 October 2012|url-status=dead|df=dmy-all}}
His dishes at Bo Innovation include one called "Sex on a Beach" which involves an edible condom made out of a konjac and kappa on a beach made of mushroom. The condom itself is filled with a mixture of honey and ham.{{cite news|last=Rahmadianti|first=Fitria|title=Wow! Kondom Bekas Ini Bisa Dimakan!|url=http://food.detik.com/read/2012/09/14/145550/2019448/297/wow-kondom-bekas-ini-bisa-dimakan?sbk901|accessdate=17 September 2012|newspaper=detikFood|date=14 September 2012|language=Indonesian}}{{cite news|last=Constable|first=David J.|title=Is London Ready for an Edible Condom? |url=http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/david-j-constable/is-london-ready-for-edible-condom_b_1776657.html|accessdate=18 September 2012|newspaper=The Huffington Post|location=London|date=12 September 2012}} All of the proceeds from that dish go to charity AIDS Concern. His restaurant in Hong Kong received two stars in the Michelin Guide's inaugural 2009 Hong Kong and Macau edition,{{cite news|first=Le-Min|last=Lim|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601088&sid=aDEvbhqfwJjk|title=Michelin Hong Kong Gives 3 Stars to 2 Restaurants (Update1)|work=Bloomberg|date=2 December 2008|accessdate=6 December 2012}}{{cite news|last=Eversham|first=Emma|title=BO Innovation's 'Demon Chef' Alvin Leung to open London restaurant|url=http://www.bighospitality.co.uk/Venues/BO-Innovation-s-Demon-Chef-Alvin-Leung-to-open-London-restaurant|accessdate=17 September 2012|newspaper=Big Hospitality|date=9 May 2012}} then upgraded to three stars in 2014 edition, and by 2012 was ranked in 52nd place in the list of the World's Best Restaurants.{{cite news|title=The World's 50 Best Restaurants 2012: 51 – 100|url=http://www.bighospitality.co.uk/In-the-Spotlight/World-s-50-Best-Restaurants/The-World-s-50-Best-Restaurants-2012-51-100|accessdate=17 September 2012|newspaper=Big Hospitality|date=1 May 2012}} The writer Mark Rozzo called Bo Innovation "the El Bulli of the East."{{Cite web|url=https://www.townandcountrymag.com/leisure/dining/a845/hong-kong-dining-guide/|title = Hong Kong Foodie|date = November 2012}}
In December 2012, Leung opened a second restaurant, Bo London, in his hometown of London, England. Within 10 months of opening, Bo London had gained its first Michelin star. Leung said that he intends for it to serve classic British fare such as dishes commonly served at bed and breakfasts, but with Chinese ingredients.{{cite news|last=Chomka|first=Stefan|title=Alvin Leung: Pearls of Wisdom|url=http://www.bighospitality.co.uk/People/Alvin-Leung-Pearls-of-Wisdom|accessdate=17 September 2012|newspaper=Big Hospitality|date=14 September 2012}} He spent £500,000 on the site in Mill Street, Mayfair, and together with equipping the restaurant is expected to spend around £1 million on the restaurant.{{cite news|last=Gerard|first=Neil|title=Alvin Leung spends £1m on new venture as London sites hit record prices|url=http://www.caterersearch.com/Articles/16/08/2012/344976/alvin-leung-spends-1m-on-new-venture-as-london-sites-hit-record-prices.htm|accessdate=17 September 2012|newspaper=Caterer and Hotelkeeper|date=16 August 2012}} In March 2014, the restaurant closed following a 'serious water leak'.{{cite news|title=Alvin Leung blames 'serious water leak' for Bo London closure|url=https://www.thecaterer.com/articles/351651/alvin-leung-blames-serious-water-leak-for-bo-london-closure|accessdate=22 August 2015|newspaper=The Caterer}} It did not reopen.
He appeared on episode eight of the Bravo cooking travel show Around the World in 80 Plates. The episode was named after him, entitled "Feeding the Demon".{{cite web|title=Around the World in 80 Plates – Episodes|url=http://www.nbcumv.com/mediavillage/networks/bravo/aroundtheworldin80plates/episodes|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130130005119/http://www.nbcumv.com/mediavillage/networks/bravo/aroundtheworldin80plates/episodes|url-status=dead|archive-date=30 January 2013|publisher=NBC Universal Media Village|accessdate=17 September 2012}} Alongside the winner of MasterChef Canada Season 1, Eric Chong, Leung opened a restaurant called R&D in Toronto.{{cite news|last1=Wong|first1=Tony|title=MasterChef Canada's Alvin Leung and Eric Chong open restaurant|url=https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2014/11/18/masterchef_canadas_alvin_leung_and_eric_chong_open_restaurant.html|work=Toronto Star|date=18 November 2014|accessdate=15 March 2015}} The restaurant was opened in early 2015 and is named after the nicknames for Chong and Leung respectively, Rebel and Demon.
Leung serves as one of three judges in MasterChef Canada.{{Cite web|url=http://www.ctv.ca/MasterChef-Canada/Judges/Alvin-Leung|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200201042856/https://www.ctv.ca/MasterChef-Canada/Judges/Alvin-Leung|url-status=dead|archive-date=1 February 2020|title=Alvin Leung|date=2018-04-03|website=ctv.ca|language=en|access-date=2020-02-01}} He also serves as one of the judges in MediaCorp Channel 5's Wok Stars.{{citation needed|date=May 2019}} He was also in the show The Listener Episode "Amuse Bouche" as a judge in a reality TV show, Five Star Chef.
In October 2017 it was announced that Leung would open a Spanish restaurant called Plato 86 and a Peking duck diner called The Forbidden Duck in Hong Kong. In April 2018, Leung opened another branch of Forbidden Duck in Singapore.
He is also set to debut his cookbook titled My Hong Kong.{{Cite news|url=https://hk.asiatatler.com/dining/beyond-molecular-alvin-leung-next-chapter|title=Beyond Molecular Gastronomy: Alvin Leung On His Next Chapter|last=Fok|first=Wilson|work=Hong Kong Tatler|access-date=2017-10-30|language=en}}
Personal life
Leung arrived in Canada after living in Hong Kong shortly after his birth in London and attended Highland Heights Jr. PS in Scarborough.https://professionallyspeakkng.oct.ca/2015-06/2015-06-Remarkable-Teacher-PS.asp After graduating from L’amoreaux Collegiate Institute he went on to studying civil engineering at the University of Toronto.
Leung practiced engineering for two decades before changing to culinary arts.
References
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Category:British expatriates in Canada
Category:British people of Hong Kong descent
Category:British restaurateurs
Category:British television chefs
Category:Head chefs of Michelin-starred restaurants
Category:Participants in Canadian reality television series
Category:Businesspeople from London