For every “classic” drink, there’s also a baijiu counterpart. Her favorite is baijiu, a clear liquor made of fermented sorghum, and it takes center stage on the cocktail menu. Neoh works with local distributors to access Chinese spirits and liqueurs previously unseen in South Carolina. She chose to leverage her dim sum restaurant with drinks, specifically, cocktails prepared with complementing ingredients that reflect the flavors on the food menu. ![]() The success of her pop-ups and community support was the encouragement she needed to turn her night project into a full-time career.ĭespite her successful pop-ups, Neoh knew she needed an additional angle to introduce a “non-Americanized Chinese restaurant” in Greenville. Every event led to a new friend, a new invitation to cook, a new pop-up, and eventually, a new restaurant. “I started learning that it’s not what you know but who you know,” she says. She continued her day job but did evening events where she could connect with other members of Greenville’s food and beverage community. The outpouring of support Neoh found at the initial pop-ups grew her confidence. When she was happy with her recipes, she began sharing her product with Greenville’s hungry residents. She challenged herself to see how closely she could make her creations resemble the dim sum she loved from China and Malaysia. Neoh started recipe testing in her home kitchen, mastering the time-intensive art of crafting delicate dim sum-not unlike the art of homemade croissants. She saw an opportunity to contribute to Greenville the way that her family members had in their Ohio hometown. ![]() “All the values in my life pointed to food and community,” she says. The Covid-19 pandemic brought about a period of introspection for Neoh in 2020. But as an adult, she pursued a career in sales and product management for an industrial engineering firm. She grew up in a family of restaurateurs her parents and grandparents owned restaurants. Neoh launched her pop-ups in 2021, sharing siu mai, rangoons, and sesame balls at various locations around Greenville. As a full-service dim sum restaurant, Sum Bar pairs the small Chinese dumplings traditionally reserved for brunch with signature craft cocktails and a sophisticated evening setting. Khailing Neoh’s much-loved dim sum pop-up, Sum Bar, enters its next chapter on January 21, 2023, in its own brick-and-mortar space on Washington Street in Greenville, South Carolina. It can be frustrating at times but when customers compliment my cooking, it makes it worth it.Former pop-up Sum Bar opens doors in its new brick-and-mortar space Besides the hours the restaurant is open, additional time is spent purchasing fresh ingredients, thinking of new dishes, etc. Q: What is the hardest part of being a chef? Chef Gu: Although I love what I do, the hours required to maintain a restaurant are difficult. The training consisted of cooking, baking, and specialty cooking techniques which I use to create dishes like hot pot, Szechuan style Dim Sum, etc. I then moved my way up and became his assistant chef. When I was training, I had to start off by washing dishes to show Chef Zhu how badly I wanted to learn how to cook. Q: Where were you trained and how difficult was your training?Ĭhef Gu: A famous chef (Chef Zhu) in China trained me for a few years. I didn't realize how creative cooking can be and really enjoy the creative side of it. I observed her cooking a lot so I decided to try and imitate her in the kitchen. Look for a more casual setting with new Sichuan “Street Food” items, along with some favorites from Gu’s Bistro and Gu’s Dumplings.Ĭhef Gu: My mother was a chef and baker, so I was always around food as a child. This is different from both Gu’s Dumplings and Gu’s Bistro. We are back! The Gu family has created another unique dining experience on Buford Highway – Gu’s Kitchen. After closing Gu's Bistro, which quickly became one of Atlanta's favorite Chinese restaurants in 2015, the Gu Family opened Gu’s Dumplings in Krog Street Market. Neither Chef Gu nor his wife uses MSG in the preparation of any of the dishes, as the flavors come from the use of high quality ingredients and masterful cooking skills. ![]() ![]() With his unique skill set and experience, he has trained numerous chefs in China and the US. Chef Gu has cooked for a variety of celebrities, including Bill Gates, and was often called upon “to save” struggling Chinese restaurants. Natives of the birthplace of Szechuan cuisine, Chengdu, Szechuan province in southwestern China, Chef Gu, his wife, and his daughter Yvonne Gu bring a combined 90 years of culinary experience to the kitchen.
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