Francis Chan started learning how to cook at the young age of 13, by working as an apprentice for a head chef at a restaurant in his homeland, Hong Kong. “There were no culinary schools back in the day,” says Francis. “You could only learn by experience, working with the food and using trial and error to improve your skill level.” Francis began his culinary journey by first learning basic skills; getting the ingredients ready, learning how to finely and delicately chop food, preparing soup from scratch and cooking rice. “The restaurant had many different departments – dim sum, stir fry, you name it. I went through all of the departments and perfected my cooking skills by watching and then by doing,” says Francis.
For a long time, Francis wanted to open his own restaurant. More than 30 years ago, he moved to Canada to pursue his dream. After opening a few restaurants over the last several years, he opened Chili Hot Pot Chinese Restaurant in October 2013. In addition to owning the restaurant, he also currently works there as the head chef.
