Director - Kitchens, Chef David King

Celebrated Chef David King is The Westin Kuala Lumpur’s Director – Kitchens. He oversees the overall kitchen operations and menu engineering of the six innovative restaurants of the hotel to redefine the concept of dining in Malaysia today.

Chef King was also chosen as the winner of “Best Young Chef” in Australia through Scholarship Gastronomy Champagne Mumm. He has travelled and worked with some of the planet’s best including Chez Panisse in San Francisco, with the 3 Michelin starred Roux Brothers in Le Gavroche and Waterside Inn in London, the other famed 3 Michelin Le Tante Claire, in Paris and Reims with 3 Michelin Apicius and Les Crayer and 2 Michelin starred Michel Rostang.

Chef King most recently participated in the Bocuse d’Or 2009 competition as mentor to Chef Farouk Othman, former Chef Tournant of The Westin Kuala Lumpur. The triumphant duo bagged the silver trophy in the inaugural Bocuse d’Or Asia 2008 in China, qualifying them for the finals in Lyon. The Bocuse d’Or is a competition after the spirit of ‘culinary Olympiads’. The event was held at Espace des Chefs (Chefs’ Area), the largest gastronomy arena in the world at 6,300 m2, installed at as part of the SIRHA (Salon International de la Restauration, de l’Hotellerie et de l’Alimentation), the International Hotel, Catering and Food Trade Exhibition at EUREXPO Lyon in France from 27 January to 28 January 2009.

Born:  Australia

Home:  The Westin Kuala Lumpur

School:  University of Queensland

Inspiration:  Chez Panisse (the birthplace of California cuisine)

Tools:  I would say a mortar and pestle. Invaluable. There is a kind of symbiotic, ergonomic relationship with what you produce. It’s the perfect tool. Timeless.

Other Passions:  As simple as walking down the street or my family.

What makes for success: Ultimately, I look for inspiration through the language of the ingredients, or sometimes teach the ingredients to speak new languages. We are often speaking a new language.