When the announcement was made at The MICHELIN Guide Taiwan 2025 ceremony that The MICHELIN Guide Young Chef Award, presented by Mia C’bon , had gone to Yung Yen in Kaohsiung, 31-year-old Chef Ferris Hsia quickly took the stage. Donning the black chef’s jacket reserved for this special award, he cheerfully high-fived the Bib Gourmand mascot. “Thank you to the teams from both Yun Lai Fang and Yung Yen for always supporting me, and thank you to our guests who love us. We will continue to work harder,” he says, in a speech that was brief yet heartfelt.
The Young Chef Award honors a young chef working in a MICHELIN-selected restaurant whose exceptional talent and potential have impressed the inspectors. This year marks the first time in Taiwan that the accolade has been presented to a Bib Gourmand distinction. “As Taiwan’s new-generation premium supermarket brand, Mia C’bon believes that true flavor begins with respect for ingredients and is brought to life by the passion and dedication of the chef — similar to what the Young Chef Award recognizes: going beyond refined culinary skills to include sensitivity to ingredients, unique perspectives on flavor, and the courage to push boundaries.” says Andy Cheng, Mia C’bon premium supermarket business director, who presented the award.
That spirit is embodied by Hsia. Yung Yen, the restaurant he now leads, traces its roots to his father’s establishment, Yun Lai Fang, named after the saying “guests arrive like clouds,” reflecting the wish for a bustling and prosperous restaurant. Combining homestyle Chinese cooking with the Hubei flavors of Hsia’s grandmother and touches of Taiwanese cuisine, the restaurant has been beloved by locals for over two decades, earning Bib Gourmand recognition in both 2022 and 2023.
Hsia admits he was not always comfortable in the kitchen. In junior high, the first time he picked up a Chinese cleaver, he accidentally cut his hand and developed a fear of cooking. But in his final year of high school, with no clear plans for the future, yet a strong resolve to care for his family, he decided to carry on the family business. He enrolled at Kaohsiung University of Hospitality and Tourism to study Chinese cuisine — attending classes on weekdays while working alongside his father in the kitchen on weekends. “All my dishes come from my father,” he recalls, eyes shining.
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Inheriting and refining
Both school and home training give Hsia complementary strengths. “School gives me academic knowledge, which is crucial for running a traditional restaurant. Home teaches me practical, hands-on skills that center on the guest experience,” he explains.For example, Hsia jokes that his father’s dishes are more “unpolished,” with little emphasis on plating, whereas today’s diners prefer clean presentation and lighter seasoning. In the past, Chinese restaurants often tailored dishes to pair with Shaoxing wine or kaoliang spirits at banquets. Today, however, many customers come simply to dine, and heavy flavors can feel overwhelming.
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Some dishes remain as family traditions. His pearl meatballs hotpot — inspired by his grandmother from Hubei, who made steamed pearl meatballs every Lunar New Year — is still prepared to order, with the minced pork shaped by hand only after an order comes in. This insistence on freshness has been passed down from grandmother to father, and now to him.
At the same time, Hsia refines and elevates these family flavors. His signature stir-fried water bamboo shoots are hand-cut into uniform thin slices, rather than the chunky rolling cuts commonly seen. This gives the vegetable more surface area to absorb the broth’s umami while staying crisp and fresh. The broth-blanching technique, meanwhile, imparts wok hei (the prized smoky flavor from stir-frying over high heat), without leaving excess liquid on the plate.
Another favorite, shrimp with scrambled eggs, features shrimp pre-fried for aroma, then folded into tender layers of softly set eggs. The delicate control of oil temperature is crucial: too hot, and the eggs turn tough; just right, and they puff up moist and airy. What looks like a simple homestyle dish is, in fact, a study in refinement.
Committed to quality ingredients
The most difficult time came five years ago, when his father passed away. Hsia worried whether loyal guests would accept his cooking. Could he replicate his father’s flavors? Could he add his own interpretation while staying true to tradition?His answer is to hold fast to the fundamentals: sourcing quality ingredients and cooking with sincerity. Like his father did, Hsia still goes to the market each morning instead of relying on wholesalers. He also reminds himself, “If guests don’t finish a dish, it’s not necessarily waste — it might be because the chef didn’t do it well enough.” For him, the chef’s responsibility is to make food so delicious that nothing is left behind.
With MICHELIN recognition, new diners from near and far are discovering Yung Yen. This brings fresh challenges, but Hsia sees his cooking as a straightforward, heartwarming way to connect. The restaurant’s glass murals, which depict joyful family gatherings, echo his belief that his dishes speak directly through flavor, creating moments of happiness for every guest.
Constantly pushing himself
Hsia continues to push himself tirelessly. “You must always demand more of yourself, never be satisfied with your current skills,” he advises young chefs. Even now, he often asks himself, “If I leave it on the heat one or two seconds longer, would this dish taste better?” While the difference might seem small, he believes that accumulated improvements lead to real progress.He frequently visits other restaurants to learn, citing Celebrity Cuisine at Grand Hilai Kaohsiung for its mastery of wok control and ambiance, and MICHELIN-selected Ukai-tei Kaohsiung for its precision. “Delicious and straightforward,” he says of the experience.
By refining tradition with contemporary finesse, Hsia not only safeguards his family’s flavors but also creates dishes that resonate across generations. In every plate, he carries forward the warmth of his heritage while opening the door to new possibilities — a table where both memory and innovation come together to welcome every guest.
