Ken Feng

Four Seasons Tenure

• Since 2023
• First Four Seasons Assignment: Current

Employment History

• Musashi Xi' an, MGM Macau; Omakase Shenzhen (Black Pearl Restaurant), Sushi Ichie Xi' an;  Xiangxiangwei

Birthplace

• Guilin, Guangxi Province

Languages Spoken

• Mandarin, Cantonese    

Ken Feng is the Chef of Yotsuba, the Japanese Resturant at Four Seasons Hotel Dalian. Chef Feng and his team bring refreshing Japanese feasts to diners with their strong dedication.

The fate of Chef Feng began with curiosity about foreign cultures. The simple and serious Japanese signboards in Shenzhen's bustling markets made him interested in this kind of cuisine in the 1990s, when Japanese cuisine was not popular, so he decided to study deeply. Chef Feng's journey of ingenuity began with an old shop that has been passed down for three generations. Later, he moved to high-end Japanese food shops in different cities such as Shenzhen, Macau and Xi 'an, and went to Japan regularly to study cooking.  

The delicacy of Japanese cuisine "material" and "principle" laid the foundation for his understanding of Japanese cooking. Chef Feng's first mentor, Miura Bangyan, shouldered the family inheritance and insisted on total concentration. The source of Tao lies in diligence. After three years of basic skills, Chef Feng knew the importance of hard work and perseverance. With his diligence and extraordinary understanding, he stood out from his colleagues and was favoured by the Michelin-starred Chef Miyamoto Daisuke, who has a very important position in Japanese domestic cuisine.

In Chef Feng's view, "Behind the ultimate presentation is the strict insistence on details." Even the most basic rice washing involves exquisite details - picking, soaking, drying, strictly observing each step at a time, and one more second of contact with water and sunshine will affect the taste and texture. In the choice of cooking methods, Chef Feng also has his own beliefs. He firmly believes that "respecting the ingredients on hand" and choosing a cooking method that matches the characteristics of ingredients will stimulate the greatest potential of food. Speaking solely of beef, the M9+ purebred wagyu from the renowned Australian establishment Mayura, with its rich and finely distributed marbling, seared on a hotplate at nearly 240 degrees Celsius to instantly lock in its juices, is the perfect method to preserve the divine texture bestowed by nature. The Spanish bluefin tuna belly patiently matures under precise temperature and humidity conditions, allowing its moisture to slowly evaporate over time, culminating in a dense and flavorful encounter with the palate, embodying its ultimate destiny. Respecting and comprehending each ingredient, harnessing their fullest potential, intervening with the most appropriate techniques upon nature's bestowed treasures – this is his finest interpretation of “ultimate presentation.”

After work, Chef Feng enjoys quiet solitude, a cup of coffee, and zeroes his mind to find inspiration in the best state. His love for Japanese materials made him never miss an opportunity to communicate with his colleagues, taste kaisekiryouri and banquets everywhere, and understand the tastes and development trends of current diners. To find the most authentic taste, Chef Feng went straight to the birthplace of cuisine, and by visiting his mentor in Japan, he personally experienced the culture behind the food and authentic seasoning and cooking techniques, leaving many footprints in exploring authentic food between China and Japan.

Facing the numerous local Japanese restaurants in Dalian, Chef Feng is full of confidence and believes that a vibrant market will bring great improvement to the industry. Yotsuba, the Japanese restaurant in Dalian Four Seasons Hotel, selects seasonal ingredients for diners to appreciate the circulation of the four seasons with the tip of their tongue, and every detail conveys the beauty of concentration of the essence of Japanese cuisine.