Vicky, chef and owner of "Tate Dining Room & Bar" in Hong Kong, has received several accolades in the culinary industry, including Two MICHELIN Stars. The chef redirected her creativity to become one of the most influential female chefs in the culinary world after pursuing an entire career in interior design.
Vicky Lau, originally from Hong Kong, moved to the United States at the age of 15, where she attended a college in Connecticut. She studied graphic communication at New York University and later worked for six years in the advertising industry, rising to the position of creative director at a design agency. Despite intending to return to Hong Kong to work in collaboration with her sister.
Her life took a turn when two friends told her about a three-month basic course at the "Le Cordon Bleu" culinary school in Bangkok, and Vicky decided to join them. After completing the course, she continued to nurture her culinary passion by staying in the Thai capital, where she studied for nine months and earned the Grand Diplôme from "Le Cordon Bleu Dusit." It was this experience that motivated her to combine her knowledge in design with the art of cooking.
Vicky further honed her skills at the renowned "Cépage" restaurant in Hong Kong before opening her restaurant, "Tate Dining Room & Bar," in 2012. In its opening year, the restaurant was awarded a MICHELIN Star, showcasing the chef's mastery of French fine dining in Hong Kong. Today, "Tate Dining Room & Bar" is part of Relais & Châteaux, a prestigious association of luxury hotels and restaurants.
On the restaurant's second anniversary, Vicky launched "Butler," a personalized luxury catering service that offers customers a top-tier culinary experience. The service collaborated with renowned lifestyle and fashion brands, creating unique and highly customized menus for clients such as Hermés, Cartier, Gucci, Boucheron, and Christies.
In 2015, Vicky Lau was named "Veuve Clicquot Asia's Best Female Chef" by the World’s 50 Best Restaurants, a prestigious recognition awarded for her creation of "edible stories" at her Franco-Asian restaurant. The dishes on the restaurant's menu are inspired by Pablo Neruda's book "All the Odes." They go beyond mere taste and aim to express appreciation and celebration for the individual ingredients used and their origins. The menu itself is presented uniquely, gradually unfolding during the course of the meal, telling different stories like chapters of a book.
In 2017, "Tate Dining Room & Bar" opened in a new and more spacious location, which also saw the inauguration of the one-of-a-kind pastry shop "Poem Patisserie." The restaurant's impeccable presentation was awarded "Best Interior Design" by Hong Kong Tatler, and the establishment was listed among the top 20 restaurants in Hong Kong by the same media brand. Also in 2017, Vicky Lau was ranked 87th in The Best Chef Awards list.
In 2021, the success of "Tate Dining Room & Bar" was further acknowledged with the awarding of Two MICHELIN Stars, a testament to Vicky Lau's continued culinary excellence and creativity.
