Chef Cheung Ngai Lit

Asia / Pacific

Chef Cheung Ngai Lit ("Chef Ricky," as he is known) joined Gate Gourmet Hong Kong as Executive Chef in 1998, when the newly built kitchen opened in March of that year. He began his career as a trainee chef with Cathay Pacific Catering Services and worked his way up to become an Executive Chef. By now, he can look back on a solid 22 years of experience in the airline catering industry.

Chef Ricky received his basic culinary education at the Technical College of Hong Kong and later broadened his professional knowledge through further trainings, including a Haking Wong (Hong Kong Institute of Vocational Education) course in Basic Skills in Western Cooking at Lufthansa's inflight center in Seeheim, Germany, an inflight catering course at the University of Surrey in Britain and a Total Management course at the Polytechnic University of Hong Kong.

In his function as Executive Chef for Gate Gourmet Hong Kong, Ricky has been involved in the development of Chinese menu workshops for United Airlines, KLM, Northwest, Turkish Airlines and Swiss International Air Lines. His expertise in Chinese cuisine has also brought him to various Gate Gourmet kitchens all over the world as a consultant chef during menu presentations for a number of Chinese airlines.

Chef Ricky attributes his love for the culinary arts to his family: "I gained my passion and interest in the culinary arts at a very young age, mostly through the influence of my mother's lovely cooking and from family members who worked in the hospitality industry," he says. "Airline catering offers me a world of opportunity to use my culinary expertise and offer my ideas to customer airlines of different nationalities in a global and challenging environment."

His specialty is the Cantonese cuisine, with a personal preference for preparing Northern Chinese dishes.

One of his favorite recipes is Chicken Wu Xi. This dish originates from Wu Xi, a city close to Shanghai, where the cuisine is well known for its rich flavor and variety.

Ricky's recipe for a successful career as a Chef: "Cook with your heart!"

And Chef Ricky's hobby may come as a bit of a surprise: He's an embroidery artist!