Bianca Chang believes her cooking style comes from a place of nostalgia and comfort.
Home-cooked meals featured frequently in Chang’s childhood. She speaks fondly of watching her grandparents prepare meals for the whole family and understands how food impacted her relationship with them.
“Food is one of the reasons I got close to my grandparents, they enjoyed talking about food and I enjoyed listening to it,” said Chang.
Her childhood experiences of the joy and connection food can bring are what encouraged Chang to pursue a career as a chef. A career that has taken her to lead the team at Leonie Upstairs, an intimate sake bar in the heart of Melbourne.
Chang grew up in Jakarta, Indonesia. Her household was lively and warm as her parents blended their cultures together to raise their children. Chang’s mother is Indonesian and her father is from Hong Kong. Chang brings elements of both cultures into the dishes she creates, often using the flavour palette of her childhood for inspiration.
At Leonie Upstairs, Chang is actively working with her team to continuously improve their offering. Chang is grateful for the trust in both her vision and capabilities her team shows. Together, she hopes they can help people to appreciate sake more and understand the role food plays in enjoying sake.
One of Chang’s recent creations is the kuro-tama (black egg). Inspired by a recent trip to Japan, the kuro-tama is a take on a scotch egg. The egg is marinated in soy and then crumbed in panko that has been mixed with squid ink. The dish is served with a squid ink sauce that offers extra texture and umami. Chang compares the look of the dish to a dinosaur egg and recommends it to everyone, except those on a first date.
As time goes by, chefs around the world continue to create innovative and exciting dishes. Chang is inspired by the creativity within the industry and recognises the challenge of trying to create something that is out of the box.
The ability to create freely in a kitchen is a goal many chefs strive towards, but the road is not an easy one. Chang understands the hospitality industry is tough, especially when starting out. She recommends keeping your head up and continuing to put one foot in front of the other, as things do get easier.
“It really is a make-or-break situation when you start in this industry, not many people can handle it but once you get over that little hill, the adrenaline kicks in and you will enjoy the journey.”
