Young Chef of the Year, presented by Smeg: Jen Kwok Lee

Infinity by Mark Best

Jen Kwok Lee spent the past two years at the Ritz-Carlton Melbourne, building its restaurant Atria from the ground up. “From concept to execution, I had the opportunity to challenge how people perceive hotel dining in Australia, through the lens of a Malaysian-Chinese immigrant cooking on the foreign land that I now call home,” Lee says.

Now, he’s stepped up to the revolving 81st floor of the Sydney Tower to take on the role of head chef at the new Infinity by Mark Best, where he continues to challenge the conventional perception of tourist-trap restaurants.

He also wants to change the perception of migrant chefs: “This job isn’t just a pathway to obtain permanent residency … people treat this industry seriously and are really proud of what they do,” he says.