Vicky Lau, a culinary entrepreneur born in Hong Kong, is the founder and head chef of Tate Dining Room, a restaurant awarded two-

Michelin star The ''Michelin Guides'' ( ; ) are a series of guide books that have been published by the French tyre company Michelin since 1900. The ''Guide'' awards up to three Michelin stars for excellence to a select few restaurants in certain geographic ...

, and green

Mora. In 2015, she was named the Best Female Chef in Asia by

Asia's 50 Best Restaurants The World's 50 Best Restaurants is a list produced by the UK media company William Reed, which originally appeared in the British magazine ''Restaurant'' in 2002. The list and awards are no longer directly related to ''Restaurant'', though th ...

Early life

Hong Kong Hong Kong)., Legally Hong Kong, China in international treaties and organizations. is a special administrative region of China. With 7.5 million residents in a territory, Hong Kong is the fourth most densely populated region in the wor ...

-native Vicky Lau moved to the United States at the age of 15, where she attended a boarding school in Connecticut. She attended

New York University New York University (NYU) is a private university, private research university in New York City, New York, United States. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded in 1832 by Albert Gallatin as a Nondenominational ...

, studying graphic communication. Following this she worked in advertising for six years and became graphic designer of a design agency. After returning to Hong Kong in 2010, she enrolled in a nine-month course at

Le Cordon Bleu Le Cordon Bleu (; French: " The Blue Ribbon"; LCB) is a French hospitality and culinary education institution, teaching haute cuisine. Its educational focuses are hospitality management, culinary arts, and gastronomy. The institution consists ...

Bangkok Bangkok, officially known in Thai language, Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon and colloquially as Krung Thep, is the capital and most populous city of Thailand. The city occupies in the Chao Phraya River delta in central Thailand and has an estim ...

Thailand Thailand, officially the Kingdom of Thailand and historically known as Siam (the official name until 1939), is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. With a population of almost 66 million, it spa ...

, and earned a Grand Diplôme. She then entered the

fine dining Fine dining is a restaurant experience that is typically more sophisticated, special, and expensive than at a typical restaurant. The décor of such restaurants features higher-quality materials, with establishments having certain rules of din ...

sector to increase her experience in culinary expertise.

Culinary career

Following her graduation from

, Vicky Lau pursued a culinary career at Cepage, a restaurant awarded one

, under the guidance of Chef Sebastien Lepinoy. After a year, she established her own restaurant, TATE Dining Room & Bar, which was originally positioned on Elgin Street in Central, Hong Kong.

TATE Dining Room

TATE Dining Room & Bar opened its doors on Elgin Street in 2012 and received a one

Michelin Star The ''Michelin Guides'' ( ; ) are a series of guide books that have been published by the French tyre company Michelin since 1900. The ''Guide'' awards up to three Michelin stars for excellence to a select few restaurants in certain geographic ...

rating in 2013. Initially, the cuisine offered by Cheffe Lau featured a fusion of French and Japanese influences.
In 2016, the restaurant relocated to a larger venue on Hollywood Road, where Lau began to incorporate more elements of her Chinese heritage into the menu.
The restaurant became a member of the

Relais & Châteaux Relais & Châteaux is an association of individually owned and operated luxury hotels and restaurants. As of April 2023, the association has 580 members in 65 countries across five continents. Predominantly operated in Europe and North America, ...

association in 2018.
TATE Dining Room was recognized with two

in 2021, marking Cheffe Lau as the first female chef in Asia to achieve this level of distinction. As of 2024, TATE Dining Room continues to offer an innovative dining experience that marries various Chinese culinary traditions with Western techniques.

MORA

Mora, founded by Cheffe Lau, began operations in 2021 on Upper Lascar Row, a historic street. The restaurant's culinary concept is focused on dishes that highlight the versatility of soy. Since 2022, Mora has held a Michelin Green Star, reflecting its commitment to sustainability in its operations.

Accolades & Roles

・ 2015, Asia’s best female chef by

The World's 50 Best Restaurants The World's 50 Best Restaurants is a list produced by the UK media company William Reed Ltd, William Reed, which originally appeared in the British magazine ''Restaurant (magazine), Restaurant'' in 2002. The list and awards are no longer direc ...

.
・ 2021, The Best Chef Food Art Award b
The Best Chef

・ 2021, Board Member of

Feeding Hong Kong Feeding Hong Kong () is a food bank in Hong Kong. It is an accredited member of The Global FoodBanking Network. Feeding Hong Kong is regarded as a food recycling operations, rather than a welfare group, so it does not receive public funding and ...

.
・ 2021, Woman of Power by

Prestige Hong Kong Prestige Hong Kong is a monthly luxury-lifestyle magazine headquartered in Hong Kong by Burda Luxury, a subsidiary of Hubert Burda Media. It publishes English-language articles and interviews on fashion, celebrities, culture, high society, watches ...

.
・ 2023, Chef of the Year by

Tatler ''Tatler'' (stylised in all caps) is a British magazine published by Condé Nast Publications. It focuses on fashion and lifestyle, as well as coverage of high society and politics. It is targeted towards the British upper and upper-middle c ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lau, Vicky Television chefs Living people Hong Kong chefs 21st-century Hong Kong businesswomen 21st-century Hong Kong businesspeople Head chefs of Michelin-starred restaurants Women chefs Alumni of Le Cordon Bleu New York University alumni Year of birth missing (living people)