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Woo Wai Leong

Woo Wai Leong (born 1988) is a Singaporean chef and restaurant owner. Leong was the first winner of MasterChef Asia in 2015. As of May 2020, he has over 10,000 followers on Instagram.

Woo Wai Leong
Woo Wai Leong.jpg
Born1988
EducationBachelor of Laws
Alma materUniversity of Bristol
Websitehttps://www.restaurantibid.com/

Background

Early life & family

Leong was exposed to cooking at a young age, having enjoyed helping his mother in the kitchen.[1] According to a 2017 interview on A Foodie World, Leong worked part-time kitchen jobs during his school holidays.[2] His passion for cooking continued into his university years during which he would prepare large meals for parties and gatherings.[3] In an interview with Prestige, Leong shared that both his parents are practising doctors.[4] He has three sisters.[5]

Education

As a pre-university student, Leong had been stronger in the humanities as compared to the sciences.[6] He then studied law at the University of Bristol in the United Kingdom.[7]

Early career

Before participating in Masterchef Asia, Leong worked at a corporate law firm while juggling part-time bartending gigs.[8][9] He was called to the bar in 2015, the same year that he won MasterChef Asia.[10]

Culinary career

MasterChef Asia - Winner (2015)

 
Leong pictured with fellow finalist Marcus Low in MasterChef Asia 2015. Photo from Asia 361.

Leong took a leave of absence from his law firm to participate in MasterChef Asia.[11] After passing the auditions, the avid MasterChef fan[12] competed against 14 other contestants for the title - two of whom were fellow Singaporeans.[13] The show premiered in September 2015[14] and ended with a showdown between Leong and the Malaysian home-cook, Marcus Low.[15] One of Leong's last winning dishes on the show was a brown butter puree with mirin-glazed leek.[16] As the winner of the competition, Leong walked away with a US$50,000 cash prize and the opportunity to write and publish a cookbook.[17]

Post-MasterChef Asia (2015 - 2017)

Leong left the legal career after winning MasterChef Asia, working as a part-time bartender at The Horse’s Mouth from 2015 to 2017.[18] During this time, he also travelled for work with the Singapore Tourism Board while pursuing culinary collaborations with fellow chefs like Reynold Poernomo[19] - a former MasterChef Australia contestant - and Labyrinth’s Han Li Guang.[20]

Restaurant Ibid - Founder (2018 - present day)

 
The interior of Restaurant Ibid.

In 2018, Leong opened Restaurant Ibid with his business partners, Audrey Lim and Ron Yang, after coming up with the idea the previous November.[21] Restaurant Ibid serves Nanyang-style cuisine[22] with menu items that are reminiscent of Chinese dishes but with a western twist.[23] The restaurant is still operational as of 2020. In an interview with L'OFFICIEL that was published in April 2020, Leong shared about how Restaurant Ibid has adapted to the Circuit Breaker measures in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.[24] As of 29 May 2020, Restaurant Ibid has developed two takeaway menus that can be found on their website.

Media appearances

The following table lists some of Leong's notable media appearances and projects since winning MasterChef Asia.

Year Partner Project
2019 Salt Magazine A Day With: Chef Woo Wai Leong
2018 A Day With: Woo Wai Leong
Buro. Singapore Chefs at home]
SETHLUI.com Masterchef Asia Winner Opens First Restaurant In Singapore
2017 Channel News Asia In Pursuit of Magic - 360° Mobile Glamping, Gobi Desert, Mongolia
2016 Buro. Singapore #BuroBites: Punch bowl with passionfruit and lime
2015 Channel News Asia 5 QUESTIONS WITH WOO WAI LEONG

References/ Citations

  1. ↑ SETHLUI.com. “Masterchef Asia Winner Opens First Restaurant In Singapore”. YouTube. June 11, 2018. Accessed on 14 May 2019.
  2. ↑ Tan, Yan Han. "Chewin' the Fat with...Woo Wai Leong". A Foodie World. May 12, 2017. Accessed on 29 May 2020.
  3. ↑ Seah, May. “Singaporean contestant wins first MasterChef Asia competition”. Today. December 11, 2015. Accessed on 14 May 2019.
  4. ↑ Foo, Mei Anne. "First MasterChef Asia Winner Opens His Own Restaurant — Finally". PRESTIGE. June 22, 2018. Accessed on 29 May 2020.
  5. ↑ Tan, Yan Han. "Chewin' the Fat with...Woo Wai Leong". A Foodie World. May 12, 2017. Accessed on 29 May 2020.
  6. ↑ Foo, Mei Anne. "First MasterChef Asia Winner Opens His Own Restaurant — Finally". PRESTIGE. June 22, 2018. Accessed on 29 May 2020.
  7. ↑ "Woo Wai Leong". Linkedin. Accessed on 29 May 2020.
  8. ↑ Tan, Yan Han. "Chewin' the Fat with...Woo Wai Leong". A Foodie World. May 12, 2017. Accessed on 29 May 2020.
  9. ↑ "MasterChef Asia winner Woo Wai Leong plans to continue bartending as he pens cookbook". AsiaOne. December 30, 2015. Accessed on 29 May 2020.
  10. ↑ Seah, May. “Singaporean contestant wins first MasterChef Asia competition”. Today. December 11, 2015. Accessed on 14 May 2019.
  11. ↑ Chua, Charlene. "Singaporeans quit high-paying jobs for MasterChef Asia". The New Paper. September 2, 2015. Accessed on 29 May 2020.
  12. ↑ Foo, Mei Anne. "First MasterChef Asia Winner Opens His Own Restaurant — Finally". PRESTIGE. June 22, 2018. Accessed on 29 May 2020.
  13. ↑ Chua, Charlene. "Singaporeans quit high-paying jobs for MasterChef Asia". The New Paper. September 2, 2015. Accessed on 29 May 2020.
  14. ↑ Loh, Genevieve Sarah. "3 Singaporean contestants in inaugural MasterChef Asia". Today. July 31, 2015. Accessed on 29 May 2020.
  15. ↑ Yip Wai Yee. "Singaporean home cook Woo Wai Leong wins MasterChef Asia". The Straits Times. December 10, 2015. Accessed on 29 May 2020.
  16. ↑ Chow, Charlene. "A sneak peek of the dishes you can expect at MasterChef Asia winner Woo Wai Leong’s new restaurant in Chinatown". Wine and Dine. April 25, 2018. Accessed on 29 May 2020.
  17. ↑ "MasterChef Asia winner Woo Wai Leong plans to continue bartending as he pens cookbook". AsiaOne. December 30, 2015. Accessed on 29 May 2020.
  18. ↑ "Woo Wai Leong". Linkedin. Accessed on 29 May 2020.
  19. ↑ Yip Jieying. "Why You Hardly See A MasterChef Contestant Open A Fine-Dining Restaurant". 8 Days. August 31, 2017. Accessed on 29 May 2020.
  20. ↑ Ee, Jamie. “Chefs On A Roll”. The Business Times. January 12, 2018. Accessed on 29 May 2020.
  21. ↑ Goh, Weets. "A day with Woo Wai Leong, chef-owner of Restaurant Ibid". SALT Magazine. May 14, 2018. Accessed on 29 May 2020.
  22. ↑ Javier, Anton D. "MasterChef Asia Winner Woo Wai Leong Opens His First Restaurant". Portfolio. June 14, 2018. Accessed on 29 May 2020.
  23. ↑ Chow, Charlene. "A sneak peek of the dishes you can expect at MasterChef Asia winner Woo Wai Leong’s new restaurant in Chinatown". Wine and Dine. April 25, 2018. Accessed on 29 May 2020.
  24. ↑ Leong, Abigail. "F&B Trailblazers: Woo Wai Leong Of Restaurant Ibid On Thriving During A Pandemic". L'OFFICIEL. April 28, 2020. Accessed on 29 May 2020.
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