The Forks & Spoons is proud to announce that SEVEN of its represented chefs with restaurants in Hong Kong and Shanghai have been selected for The Best Chef Awards 2025, held in Milan on 2nd October 2025. This international platform recognises visionary culinary talents from around the globe, and this year highlights a stellar line-up from The Forks & Spoons portfolio.
REPRESENTED CHEFS IN THE BEST CHEF AWARDS 2025
Chef Agustin Balbi (Andō) – Three Knives Awarded (promoted from Two Knives)
At one-MICHELIN-starred Andō, Agustin Balbi translates his unique heritage and life journey into Spanish-Japanese cuisine unlike any other. His menus explore uncharted flavour pairings with finesse, offering guests a deeply personal narrative through food.
Chef Antimo Maria Merone (Estro) – NEW to The Best Chef Awards 2025 – One Knife Awarded
Neapolitan native Antimo Maria Merone has redefined Italian fine dining in Hong Kong with Estro. His cuisine is both rooted in the traditions of Naples and propelled by modern creativity, resulting in bold, thought-provoking tasting menus that resonate with memory and innovation.
Cheffe ArChan Chan (Ho Lee Fook) – NEW to The Best Chef Awards 2025 – One Knife Awarded
A flag-bearer of modern Cantonese cuisine, ArChan Chan leads Ho Lee Fook with passion and pride. Her cooking is a vibrant homage to Hong Kong’s culinary identity, combining deep respect for local traditions with contemporary flair and a sense of joyful sophistication.
Chef Weng Yong Jun (Yong Fu Shanghai) – NEW to The Best Chef Awards 2025 – One Knife Awarded
Weng Yongjun is a Chinese Registered Culinary Master and Senior Chef who founded the Yong Fu brand in 2011. Leading his team with dedication, he set out to use the freshest ingredients and traditional techniques to create the most authentic flavors of Ningbo cuisine. With an uncompromising pursuit of excellence rather than cost-efficiency, he established a unique, high-end image for Ningbo cuisine. Weng believes that regional cuisine must step out of its local origin to truly shine on a larger stage. Under his leadership, YONGFU became the only restaurant to consecutively earn Michelin One Star, Black Pearl Two-Diamond, and Three-Diamond awards for Ningbo cuisine. YONGFU evolved from a single brand into the YONGFU Catering Group, and Weng’s role expanded from chef to operator, entrepreneur, and restaurant investor—each step a natural progression aligned with the brand’s growth.
Chef Simon Rogan (L’Enclume, Roganic Hong Kong) – Two Knives Awarded
With a total of 11 MICHELIN stars across the Simon Rogan empire including Three MICHELIN stars at L’Enclume and One MICHELIN-starred and MICHELIN Green Star at Roganic Hong Kong, Simon Rogan is a true pioneer of farm-to-table dining. His restaurants reflect a devotion to seasonality and sustainability, blending innovation with a respect for nature’s cycles.
Chef Julien Royer (Odette & Louise) – Three Knives Awarded
Founder of Three-MICHELIN-starred Odette in Singapore and One MICHELIN-starred Louise in Hong Kong, Julien Royer is celebrated for his modern French cuisine rooted in seasonality and sincerity. His dishes carry a delicate balance of precision and emotion, earning him global recognition as one of today’s leading chefs.
Cheffe Anne-Sophie Pic (Cristal Room by Anne-Sophie Pic) – Three Knives Awarded
The world’s most decorated female chef continues to make her mark internationally with One MICHELIN-starred and recently voted by Tatler Best 2025 as Best New Opening and Top 20 Restaurants of Hong Kong’s Cristal Room by Anne-Sophie Pic in Hong Kong. Guided by her philosophy of “suffusion,” her cooking channels elegance and complexity while reinterpreting French culinary traditions for a new audience.
This is a continuous testament of Hong Kong as a global gastronomic destination with world-class Chefs as such in the city.
