Spicing things up

For Tam, at culinary school, the courses on nutrition, chemistry, or interaction of heat and proteins were like applying what she knew in science to something she liked in life. But, nonetheless, she had to learn and practice the basic cooking skills.

During her culinary study, Tam met Wong who, having taken a similar path to hers, found his passion in making food when he was studying his medical degree in college.

They fell in love and studied for three and a half years together at the culinary school.

"She sat in the front, always getting high marks, always paying attention, and I was the complete opposite," Wong recalls.

During their study, they used their time outside of class to work in different restaurants, which continued after they finished their postgraduate degrees in Italian cuisine.

After working in different styles of restaurants, Tam found her passion in fine dining. "You realize that food can be presented so beautifully, like a painting," she says.

At a charity event in Toronto, they met Alvin Leung, an iconic chef from Hong Kong, popular for his bold interpretations of modern Chinese cuisine.