André & his olive tree: Who is chef André Chiang? Wife to career of Netflix star!
André Chiang has had huge success in his life. He’s the only Chinese chef to make the Michelin Guide World’s 50 Best Restaurants list, as well as the top Chef list. But in 2018, André, who is recognised as Asia’s culinary leader, decided to close down his fine dining restaurant, Restaurant ANDRE, which came as […]
André Chiang has had huge success in his life. He’s the only Chinese chef to make the Michelin Guide World’s 50 Best Restaurants list, as well as the top Chef list.
But in 2018, André, who is recognised as Asia’s culinary leader, decided to close down his fine dining restaurant, Restaurant ANDRE, which came as a shock to customers.
It’s no wonder that André and his restaurant made it to Netflix as his story is one like no other.
Netflix: André & his olive tree
Singaporean filmmaker Josiah Ng gave viewers a glimpse into André’s world in the Netflix documentary André & his olive tree.
The intimate documentary follows André, Taiwan’s first Michelin-starred chef-restaurateur, as he documents his experiences of success.
André is famed for his “Octaphilosophy”. This cooking philosophy is based on eight characteristics: Unique, Texture, Memory, Pure, Terroir, Salt, South and Artisan. This is said to be “the backbone of the creative process of ANDRE’s creation“.
It is evident from the Netflix documentary that André is a perfectionist. And the closure of his successful restaurant, Restaurant ANDRE, along with a request not to be included in the 2018 edition of the Michelin Guide Singapore, is said to have been in a bid to achieve perfection. The restaurant closed in February 2018.
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Who is chef André’s wife?
Chef André is married to Sudarampai Chiang. The couple tied the knot in 2006 after knowing each other for just three months.
While André is Taiwanese, his wife, known as “Pam”, is from Thailand. The couple are often pictured together on her Instagram @sudarampai.
Speaking to The Peak Magazine in 2016, André said that he and his wife do everything together: “We are the same person when we look at beautiful things, but completely different when we talk about life. My life is about work; whereas her life is about me and my work“.
During André & his olive tree, Pam explains that the pair don’t have time for children and that they’re both workaholics.
André Chiang: Career & net worth
Talking of how he started out working in restaurants, André said that he would knock on doors and say “I want to work here, tomorrow“. He said he didn’t care how much he got paid he “just wanted to work with the best of the best“.
Not afraid of change, once Restaurant ANDRE closed, André moved onto new ventures. He now runs restaurants including RAW, Burnt ends, Bincho, MeatSmith, Porte 12, The Bridge, Zen, Sichuan moon and One Tree Hill.
Speaking to The South China Morning Post, André said that one of the reasons he closed Restaurant ANDRE to focus more on a restaurant he opened in Taipei in 2014, RAW.
Prior to opening his own restaurants, André was the head chef of the three Michelin star restaurant Le Jardin des Sens in France.
André’s cooking career started at the age of 15 when he moved to France to train. Today he boasts many accolades including his restaurants ranking on Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants List in 2020. Burnt Ends ranked fifth on the list. In 2018 he also added the Diner’s Club Lifetime Achievement Award to his list of achievements.
The culinary pioneer can be found on both Twitter, @ChefAndreChiang, and Instagram, @andrechiang_sg, with around 100,000 followers combined. He’s had a career spanning over 30 years so far and with many restaurants recently opened, André is showing no signs of slowing down. His net worth is listed online anywhere between $100,000 and $1m, however, we can estimate that it is more than likely over $1m.
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WATCH ANDRÉ & HIS OLIVE TREE ON NETFLIX NOW.