Who Is Buddha Lo? Details About The Top Chef's Season 19 Winner
Buddha Lo has been printed as the winner of Top Chef Season 19, wowing the judging panel with the dishes all the way through the grand finale. Lo's successful menu included a hamachi starter, lobster laksa for the second path, Mongolian lamb entrée, and pumpkin mille-feuille and helped him beat Evelyn Garcia and Sarah Welch.
Lo gained the Bravo cooking show because of his fastidious method, attention to detail, and deep knowledge of Top Chef. He even studied the display to position in combination a winning components. He were a powerful contender the complete season, which wasn't a wonder when he worked in certainly one of Gordon Ramsay's three-Michelin-star restaurants and currently presides over a world-class caviar eating place.
So who is Buddha Lo, and how did he do so smartly on the the world over famend cooking competition?
11 Where Buddha Lo Was Born
Born to Chinese-Malaysian oldsters in Australia, Buddha Lo grew up in Port Douglas in a ways north Queensland. He earned the nickname Buddha as a kid as a result of he used to be "eating too much of [his] dad's food."
He describes Port Douglas as a town closer to Papua New Guinea than it is to Sydney. He grew up foraging for suitable for eating ants and tasting dugong meat, the part of a handful of animals that handiest the native Indigenous Australians were ready to legally hunt.
The chef learned to cook from his dad, who owned a Chinese restaurant in Port Douglas, Australia.
10 How Buddha Lo Started Cooking
"I used to be babysat as a kid, my oldsters worked seven days a week. And that was not sustainable," he has revealed when speaking about his childhood. "At eight years old, I was like, I don’t want a babysitter. And I said to my mom,
“Look, I’m going to do my own homework, I’m going to cook for myself, I’m going to prepare my own lunches. I’m going to look after myself.” So she ended up letting that happen. And so I started cooking for my brother, who’s older than me, making his lunch."
9 Buddha Lo Went To Culinary School In Australia
Buddha Lo went to culinary faculty in Australia, best he did not have to pay for it! He enrolled in classes at the renowned Melbourne William Angliss Institute. He continued to paintings whilst there along culinary faculty as neatly.
"They realized that they have a skill shortage in cooks. So they decided instead of people having to pay to go to school, everyone gets paid to go to school. It’s a bit of a different system, but I think that one works because the culinary scene in Australia is amazing," the Top Chef winner explains. "And that’s because a lot of the cooks are able to go to culinary school. It’s not a high-paying job. It’s just like I don’t see anyone wanting to get into this industry and have that sort of student loan hanging over them and then getting paid probably close to nothing."
He also earned a scholarship to paintings for two months at the Chateau Cordeillan-Bages in France. This enjoy working in the 2-Michelin star-rated restaurant helped Lo on his trail to Top Chef glory.
8 Buddha Lo Worked For Gordon Ramsey
After completing culinary school, Buddha Lo moved to London to work at the three Michelin-starred eating place Gordon Ramsay, the place he met his mentor, Clare Smyth.
He later moved to New York City and spent a year at three Michelin-starred Eleven Madison Park where he learned to push himself and paintings to a wonderful eating level.
"So, when I got into the restaurant, I counted probably at least 20 people leaving in less than three months. Getting in is very easy. But surviving, that’s the hard part," he printed about the experience.
7 Buddha Lo's Father Died Days Before Top Chef
Buddha Lo's father, Tze-Kwong Lo, kicked the bucket from most cancers simply two days ahead of Buddha were given the telephone name to determine that he were selected to compete on the nineteenth season of Top Chef.
Buddha and his dad have been both massive Top Chef lovers, and they all the time dreamed of him getting the alternative to compete on the display. When he received the title, he mentioned that it used to be each for him and for his father.
6 Where Buddha Lo Has Worked
Buddha Lo has been a chef at such a lot of of the absolute best restaurants round the world. He’s labored for a few of the most famous Michelin-rated eating places across the global, together with New York City’s personal Eleven Madison Park.
He’s worked in towns comparable to Paris, Copenhagen, and London, and in nations akin to America, Australia, and Sweden.
5 How Buddha Lo Met His Wife
The technically trained Top Chef Season 19 winner was once as identified for being a family member as he is an incredible chef.
Buddha met his wife, Australian-born Rebecca, in the kitchen about 10 years ago, after they both labored in combination at Hare and Grace in Melbourne, Australia. During a circle of relatives meal challenge on the display, it used to be revealed Rebekah made a Pasta Amatriciana that was once so just right, Buddha declared on the spot that he would marry her if she used to be nonetheless unmarried via the age of 30.
"It was just a joke, and I didn't mean to say it in a sort of creepy way, but it was that good. I was like, 'I could live like this forever...'" Buddha mentioned on the Top Chef episode. "We call it Marry Me Pasta."
The Top Chef famous person made just right on his promise, and so they wed in November 2018. Rebekah is the pastry sous chef at world-renowned Eleven Madison Park.
"Cook how you always cook," was once her advice for him on the show. "She would remind me of my dad's favorite quote, which is 'If you think you can, you can.' That's what my dad always told me at the end of every phone call. She's taken that position now, and it was very encouraging. She was definitely instrumental to the win, for sure."
4 What Buddha Lo Loved About Top Chef
Buddah Lo's favorite a part of Top Chef used to be the demanding situations. He loves with the ability to cook with an absolutely stocked pantry with top quality equipment that he didn't have to wash himself.
"Definitely, the highlight was just the cooking itself. Obviously cooking for great judges. Even the main judges Padma, Tom, and Gail. I’ve been watching them for so long and just to be standing right there with my plate of food was amazing. And the low points, I think the living situation was quite low, but I understand why they do it," he published.
3 What Buddha Lo Missed Most While On Top Chef
Buddha Lo wasn't too happy with the dwelling scenario on the display, but principally he neglected song. "Everything’s taken away from us, our phones, our TV, all that sort of stuff. I didn’t mind the phones and the TV, but I’m a person that loves music, so I always need music in the background."
"You’re allowed to read, but you’re not allowed to read anything that’s cooking-related. And I’m kind of boring and I like to read everything that’s to do with cooking or watch things that’s to do with cooking."
2 What Buddha Lo Will Do With His Top Chef Prize Money
"Believe it or not, even though it's been 200 days since I've actually won and that episode was filmed, I still don't know what I'm going to do with it yet," the Season 19 star told Distractify about the $250,000 prize. "It's going to be money that can make me live more comfortably. I've never had this sort of money."
Buddha Lo has never been money-orientated, "I sacrificed the money in order to work for really good chefs... I made those sacrifices for a very long time, and I had to really try and hustle my way through life," the chef published.
1 Buddha Lo Wants To Open His Own Restaurant
Buddha Lo’s no longer just glad with profitable the pageant, prize money and work for others. He desires to open his personal restaurant. His post-Top Chef objective is to open a restaurant that in the future earns him 3 Michelin stars.
But first, he needs to revel in his win, cross on vacation and relax for a little bit bit.
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