We’re incredibly excited to announce that Chef Joseph Poon will be coming to TOP Cooks Camp this summer!
Known for his exquisite fruit and vegetable carvings and Asian fusion cuisine, Master Chef Joseph Poon began his culinary training as a teenager when he worked in the airline food service industry in Hong Kong. Fascinated by another chef’s carved fruit and vegetable centerpieces and sculptures, Chef Poon purchased several hundred potatoes and practiced until he mastered the skill himself. The art has since become one of his trademarks.
Chef Poon went on to study nutrition at the State University of New York (SUNY) College at Oneonta before enrolling in an intensive program at the Culinary Institute of America (CIA), where he studied international cuisine. In 2006, Chef Poon was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from SUNY. He currently serves on the advisory board for the University’s Food service and Nutrition department and frequently visits to motivate the culinary students and host fundraising appearances.
Throughout the course of his career, Chef Poon has owned several restaurants, including Sang Kee Restaurant, Joe’s Peking Duck House, Joseph Poon Asian Fusion Restaurant and Joseph Poon Chef Kitchen. He has also worked as a managing chef and product manager for China Coast Restaurants and has consulted for the Disney World Dolphin Hotel, major airlines and various Italian restaurants in New England.
His culinary and carving expertise has earned him appearances on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, the Ellen DeGeneres Show, the Food Network’s The Best Of…, PBS-TV’s Christina Cooks, the Learning Channel’s The Makeover Story and The Dating Story and Discovery Channel’s Home Matters. He has been awarded a President’s Medallion by the American Culinary Federation for his outstanding contributions to the profession. He has appeared as a consultant to the Culinary Institute of America, performing his fruit and vegetable sculpture and carving demonstrations for corporate chefs.
As the National Watermelon Promotion Board’s National Culinary Spokesperson, Chef Poon appears throughout the United States doing watermelon carving demonstrations. His Wok ‘N Walk Tour was named the #1 attraction in Philadelphia Chinatown by Disney’s FAMILY FUN magazine. Additionally, Chef Poon leads culinary trips to China and is the author of an inspirational, autobiographical cookbook, Life is short…Cooking is fun, for which he received an award at the World Cookbook Fair in Paris, France.
A sample of his carvings recently appeared in the July/August issue of Food Network Magazine.
For more information, visit www.JosephPoon.com.
