Of
expatriate parents from
China, Mr. Chen was born on
December
14, 1955, in Dublin,
the largest city and the
national capital of the Republic of
Ireland. Coming from
a family of
the upper middle class, Mr. Chen from
an early age never liked luxury and
all
that goes with it. He said,
when he is older he will dedicate himself body and soul to help the
most needy.
Growing
up, he developed a passion for
cooking and opted to study in
this direction. Once
his studies were finished, he wanted to realize his dream of helping the
most needy.
From where he bought a food truck
and put all the necessary equipment in it
to allow him
to do his job. He went from town to town to have people
taste
his culinary creations. And did
it without profit by helping impoverished
and by bringing them hope
and consolation through
his ready-cooked meals which were comparable to
the big restaurant? Mr. Chen was
an angel fallen from heaven?
Like
many people, Mister
Chen had a person that
he considered the best example of
his profession: Alexandre Balthazar Grimod De
La REYNIERE (1758-1838).
For Mister Chen,
this man was an icon in
the business; he
personified loyalty and good business sense.
So Mr.
Chen began his charitable work through his cuisine
worthy
of starred chefs. At his first experience, everything
was not perfect and Mr.
Chen often made things very bad
because of
the anxiety which took him. And
because
to take care of the
poorest is a job which deserves a lot of attention and
sacrifice as he said.
But with perseverance and
by seeking to do
better, Mr. Chen created a style of cuisine that was his own
and that he had developed over
the years.
Seeing that
the work was too huge for
one person, Mr. Chen opted
to hire an assistant who
would help him
with certain tasks.
Applying for
the post of assistant for Mr. Chen,
Daniel was a young man passionate about
cooking. But
for lack of means, he had not
been able to make great studies
and looked at
from afar his passion for cooking. And
for him,
this assistant
position was an opportunity not to
be missed.
Having acquired certain notions of cooking
through the small dishes that
his mother made for him,
he opted for the recipe that
his mother from
India often made for him (Masala
dosa) during
the competition organized by Mr.
Chen. This is how Daniel got
the job of assistant.
Daniel and Mister Chen
worked together
and built a strong bond between
them.
But
their work did not always produce
the desired effect, and they
were about to give
up since not many people really
paid attention to
their cuisine given their origins.
But One
day, Mister Chen went to his food truck on
the side of
the road leading to Franceville. As he usually did, he put on
his apron, tied on a ribbon,
and set a lemon on
a table. This was his registered
trademark and a
daily
ritual. The tastes and colors didn’t
matter: that was the philosophy of life of
Mister Chen.
After being installed, he said to
Daniel do you think about
the state of
this town? Daniel replied: sir i have
confidence in what we do and even
if we are not welcomed here and people reject us, i will always keep hope because
what we do is commendable and few people are able to do
it.
Due to the rejection they
had suffered in
other cities, Mr. Chen doubted himself, but
the words
Daniel had told him had
re-mobilized him. So,
it was the moment for
the artist to
make himself known.
Explaining his concept of
the dish to the
first customer (homeless), he said to
Daniel
his assistant: Add pepper, garlic and onion, add tomato
purée
and whatever goes with it, and cook for
a further 4-5
minutes. Add a splash of whiskey to
the pan, scraping up any browned bits from
the bottom of the pan with a wooden
spoon to
deglaze. - recipe, Grilled fillet of halibut and
langoustine tails with smoked haddock risotto and shellfish
froth.
Attracted by the enticing smell that
spread, people came. And here is
a particular
customer. When he came, he asked Mister
Chen for a wine flavored
with spices and honey.
Mister
Chen said to his assistant:
Pierce the barrel of
our oldest wine, serve the best mead,
the strongest ale, the richest Morat,
the most sparkling cider,
the most fragrant
pigments on the table.
He cooked for
the thousands of people on
the side of
the road. Seeing the enthusiasm of
the customers for
his little dishes,
he went into the town to serve even
more people.
Because his dishes were
delicious and exquisite,
the people brought various
food products so
that Mister Chen prepares them for them. And
his fame spread to the neighboring
cities, people came from
all walks
of life to taste the delights of Mister Chen and took the
same opportunity
to invite Mister Chen to come into their town.
Being
a
man full of compassion, Mister Chen decided
to make the people of Franceville his disciples in order to teach them the art of
cooking and
the secrets of gastronomy. After spending a while in Franceville, Mister Chen contemplated the result of
his work, testing and tasting the dishes of
his disciples, who had become his fellow
students
since they had excelled and followed in the footsteps of
their master.
Proud of
the work accomplished, Mister Chen went
away. Through his kitchen, he
was able to bring
together people from all walks
of life and
transmitted to them the passion and
the art of good cuisine.
After serving others throughout
his life, Mr.
Chen joined his ancestors in
the place of eternal rest in 2011. He
had dedicated his entire life to
humanitarian
action. For
him, making a family in distress
smile through his cooking was more than all
the riches in
the world. His life is a lesson for
each one of us
and a meditation for us who
have stayed. Practicing the universal
well-being of
living for others.
