Chef André Chiang to receive Diners Club Lifetime Achievement Award

Taiwan-born André Chiang, the acclaimed chef of Restaurant André in Singapore and Raw in Taipei, has been named as the 2018 recipient of The Diners Club Lifetime Achievement Award – Asia, presented by Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants awards programme, making him the first Chinese chef to receive this honour.

Acknowledging the honour, Chiang said: “While I was thrilled to be the first Chinese chef to appear on The World’s 50 Best Restaurants list, I am equally honoured to be the first Chinese chef to receive this prestigious award. My focus has always been to put Asia on the culinary world map and this recognition reinforces that goal. I will remember this moment forever.”

The announcement of the award also came at a time when the chef earlier revealed his plan to close down his celebrated eponymous 30-seat restaurant André in Singapore this month, eight years after opening in 2010.

The chef also made headlines last year when he announced that he would return his restaurant’s two Michelin stars and asked not to be included in the 2018 guide. “I wish to kindly return my Michelin stars and also request not to be included in the 2018 edition of the Michelin Guide,” Chiang said in a letter to the press.

The restaurant debuted on The World’s 50 Best Restaurants list in 2013 at No.38 and in 2017 ranked No.14. On Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants list, Restaurant André has consistently placed in the top 10, peaking at No.2 in 2017.

Chiang honed his culinary skills in France where he worked with Jacques and Laurent Pourcel at the acclaimed Le Jardin des Sens as well as Pierre Gagnaire, Michel Troisgros and Jöel Robuchon before returning to Asia in Singapore to open Jaan par André, a fine-dining French restaurant at Swissôtel The Stamford.

In 2013, he co-launched Burnt Ends, his wood-fire barbecue concept in Singapore, and a year later, Chiang returned to his hometown in Taiwan and opened Raw in Taipei. Entering Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants list in 2016, last year it ranked at No.24, earning the ‘Best Restaurant in Taiwan’ title.

William Drew, Group Editor of Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants said: “André Chiang is among the world’s most respected, prominent and successful chefs, and the coveted Diners Club Lifetime Achievement Award is an honour that reflects his culinary journey to date. We look forward to seeing the direction he will take in the next phase of his already stellar career.”

The award will be presented to Chang at the sixth annual Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants awards ceremony on 27 March 2018 at Wynn Palace in Macau.