Philippe Chin 'masters' French-Asian cuisine in Augusta, Ga

Nation's Restaurant News, Nov 1, 2004 by Jack Hayes

Philippe Chin, executive chef at the 200-year-old Partridge Inn in Augusta, Ga., has a strong Asian connection. In 1907 his grandfather immigrated to France from Northern China, and during the 1950s and early 1960s, his father spent several years in Vietnam with the French army.

It's no surprise then that Chin, who graduated from Ecole Hoteliere de Paris in 1979 with a degree in hotel and restaurant management with a major in cooking and fine dining, should devote his career to French-Asian cuisine.

A mere 16 years old on graduation day, Chin was ranked among the top 10 students in his class at the Paris institution. And he was only 34--the youngest chef on record--when he was accepted and inducted into the elite Maitres Cuisiniers de France in 1997.

In that same year, as chef-owner of Chanterelles in Philadelphia, Chin was a nominee for the James Beard Foundation's Best Chef in the Mid-Atlantic Award.

Attributing his accomplishments to a hands-on learning approach, creative focus and sharp discipline, Chin opened Chin-Chin, also in Philadelphia, after selling Chanterelles in 1998.

He closed Chin-Chin in 2001, and in October of that year found his way to the 150-room Partridge Inn, where his charge was to overhaul banquets and catering and transform both existing restaurants. At one of them he created a signature, street-entrance, fine-dining venue called Bambu on Hickman. Since its debut in 2002 during the Masters golf tournament, Bambu has built a strong following.

Title: executive chef, The Partridge Inn, Augusta, Ga.

Birth date: March 12,1963

Hometown: Paris

Education: Ecole Hoteliere de Paris, 1979, with a degree in hotel and restaurant management

Career highlights: graduated among the top 10 students in his school; after opening Chanterelles in Philadelphia in 1997, he won national recognition in the Zagat guide and Esquire magazine; was inducted into the Maitres Cuisiniers de France in 1997

What was it like becoming the youngest master chef in France?

It felt incredible, of course, and I still hold the distinction of having been the youngest. But you know seven years have passed.

What did you do between graduation and the opening of Chanterelles in 1992?

I worked in French kitchens before becoming executive chef at Le Santal in St. Martin in the Caribbean. In 1986 I came to the U.S. to work at La Cocotte near Philadelphia. Three years later I opened the Rittenhouse hotel and stayed there until opening Chanterelles.

What made you close Chin-Chin?

I had a disagreement with my landlord, which led to a lawsuit that I lost. In the end it felt like I was working for my landlord, so I decided to close and take some time off.

What drew you to cooking in the first place?

Well, there were no chefs in my family. My mother, Regina, cooked during the week, and my father, Guy, who was a woodworker, took over on weekends. He loved to cook when we had company.

From where in China did your paternal grandfather come to France?

I don't know exactly. His name was Emile, and he came from the north of China near the Mongolian border. They grew a lot of ginseng there.

Is it hard to get into the Ecole Hoteliere de Paris?

It's very, very hard to get in. You have to pass a written test and a very difficult interview. You have to have the right personality--and the right reason to go into the business. A lot of applicants are children of Michelin star chefs, so the competition is stiff.

What is the learning environment like there?

It's a three-year program and very rigorous all the way. You have to have the basic education in French, English and math. The first year you work in every restaurant position: serving, bartending and kitchen. Then you go into your major. For me, that was fine dining. But you can also major in high-volume kitchen arts, for example, if you want to work in a brasserie.

What brought you to the Partridge Inn?

I went there only because they wanted me to create my own restaurant. The privately owned hotel had undergone a great deal of renovation, and they were ready for my kind of cooking. It was somewhat new for Augusta.

What is Bambu's check average, and who are your customers?

The check average is about $50 per person with food and beverage. We have five hospitals in Augusta, so there's a high number of doctors and professional medical people who have traveled and know good food. There are plenty of people here who appreciate good food. But we also draw from Atlanta.

Talk about the French and Vietnamese connection.

The French were in Vietnam before the Americans. There was a cross influence. If you buy Vietnamese groceries today, you still see both French and Vietnamese on the package. There's a lot of French influence and freshness in Vietnamese food.

What about Vietnamese influence in France?

There were no Asian markets in Paris in the 1980s, but you find them today. What many French chefs are trying to do today is to re-create Asian cuisine with French ingredients. Not that they have to; it's just a different ballgame when you can easily get ingredients from anywhere.