Vicky Lau is the Hong Kong chef and culinary entrepreneur behind TATE Dining Room in Sheung Wan, the first female chef-led restaurant in Asia to hold two Michelin stars. Born and raised in Hong Kong, Lau studied graphic communications at New York University, worked as a designer at the socially conscious Green Team advertising agency in New York, and returned to Hong Kong in 2010. She enrolled at Le Cordon Bleu in Bangkok, earning a Grand Diplôme, and then worked at one-Michelin-star Cépage under chef Sebastien Lepinoy before opening TATE Dining Room in 2012.
TATE Dining Room received its first Michelin star in 2013 and was promoted to two Michelin stars in 2021, making Lau the first female chef in Asia to hold two stars at her own restaurant. She was named Asia Best Female Chef in 2015 by Asia 50 Best Restaurants. Lau operates a group of restaurants in Hong Kong: TATE Dining Room (two stars, Hollywood Road), Mora (one star and a Michelin Green Star, Upper Lascar Row, tofu and soy), Date by TATE (pastry and lifestyle), Ān Soy (soy-focused lifestyle brand), and JIJA at Kimpton Hong Kong (opened 2026, Yunnan-inspired).
TL;DR
- Hong Kong chef, born and raised in Hong Kong; NYU graphic design graduate
- Chef-owner of TATE Dining Room on Hollywood Road (opened 2012; promoted to two stars 2021)
- First female chef in Asia to hold two Michelin stars at her own restaurant
- Asia Best Female Chef 2015 (Asia 50 Best Restaurants)
- Owns Mora (one star plus Green Star, soy-focused) and opened JIJA at Kimpton Hong Kong in 2026
Vicky Lau key facts
| Born | Hong Kong |
| Nationality | Hong Kong Chinese |
| Main restaurant | TATE Dining Room, Hollywood Road, Sheung Wan, Hong Kong (opened 2012; moved 2016) |
| Michelin stars | Two at TATE since 2021 (first female chef in Asia to hold two stars); one plus Green Star at Mora since 2022 |
| Style | French-Chinese fine dining; Ode to Ingredients tasting menus; edible stories |
| Training | New York University (graphic communications); Le Cordon Bleu Bangkok (Grand Diplôme); Cépage under Sebastien Lepinoy |
| Other ventures | Mora; Date by TATE; Ān Soy; JIJA at Kimpton Hong Kong (2026) |
Early life and training of Vicky Lau
Lau was born and raised in Hong Kong and moved to the United States at age 15 to attend a boarding school in Connecticut. She then enrolled at New York University, where she completed a Bachelor of Arts degree in graphic communications. After graduation she worked for six years in New York advertising, most notably at Green Team, one of the first communications agencies focused on sustainability and social responsibility, where she became a graphic designer. The design background runs through her later culinary work in a visible way: the plating at TATE has been compared by critics to book covers and editorial layouts.
In 2010 Lau returned to Hong Kong and initially set up her own design studio. A friend invited her to enrol in a new Le Cordon Bleu programme in Bangkok; the intention was a short course, but she completed the full nine-month programme and earned a Grand Diplôme. She then joined Cépage in Hong Kong, a one-Michelin-star French restaurant, under chef Sebastien Lepinoy, where she developed the classical technique that still underpins TATE.
TATE Dining Room & Bar opened on Elgin Street in Sheung Wan in 2012 as a 26-seat restaurant. The original concept was fusion French-Japanese with narrative tasting menus. TATE received its first Michelin star in 2013, just half a year after opening. The restaurant held its one-star rating for nine consecutive years and moved in 2016 to a 3,800-square-foot, two-storey location on Hollywood Road, which gave Lau the kitchen and dining-room scale needed for the two-star programme she developed over the following years.
Vicky Lau career timeline
- Childhood: Born and raised in Hong Kong
- Age 15: Moves to the United States for boarding school in Connecticut
- Early 2000s: Bachelor of Arts in graphic communications from New York University
- Mid-2000s: Graphic designer at Green Team, a New York sustainability-focused advertising agency
- 2010: Returns to Hong Kong; starts own design studio
- 2010-2011: Completes Grand Diplôme at Le Cordon Bleu in Bangkok
- 2011: Joins one-Michelin-star Cépage under chef Sebastien Lepinoy
- 2012: Opens TATE Dining Room & Bar on Elgin Street, Sheung Wan (26 seats)
- 2013: First Michelin star at TATE, six months after opening
- 2015: Named Asia Best Female Chef (Asia 50 Best Restaurants)
- 2016: TATE moves to 3,800-sq-ft two-storey location on Hollywood Road; menu shifts toward Chinese heritage
- 2018: TATE becomes a Relais & Châteaux member
- 2021: TATE Dining Room promoted to two Michelin stars, making Lau the first female chef in Asia to hold two stars at her own restaurant
- 2021: Opens Mora on Upper Lascar Row, a tofu- and soy-focused restaurant
- 2022: Mora awarded a Michelin Green Star in the 2023 guide
- 2024: Mora awarded its first Michelin star in the 2024 guide
- 2026: Opens JIJA at Kimpton Hong Kong Tsim Sha Tsui, a Yunnan-inspired more casual concept using TATE house-made non-GMO tofu and soy products
Vicky Lau signature style: edible stories, French technique, Chinese heritage
Lau central argument is that a tasting menu can be an edible story, with each dish a chapter that pays tribute to a specific ingredient. The longer Jade menu at TATE is constructed as an Ode to Ingredients, with individual courses titled Ode to Pigeon, Ode to Sauce, Ode to Scallop, and so on. The form reflects her graphic-design background: a menu is a layout problem, and each plate is a discrete composition in a longer narrative. The kitchen marries French technique learned at Le Cordon Bleu and Cépage with Chinese ingredients, sauces, and pantry staples.
The second defining element is the sustainability and soy research programme. Mora, opened in 2021, is built around the versatility of soy: tofu in its many regional Chinese forms, tofu skin, fermented soy sauces, and desserts based on soy milk. TATE has its own non-GMO soybean supplier, and Lau operates a tofu workshop in Hong Kong that supplies Mora and the newer JIJA restaurant. The Green Michelin Star Mora received in the 2023 guide and the full Michelin star added in 2024 confirmed the model.
The third pillar is the pan-Asian chef network Lau has built. She is on the board of Feeding Hong Kong (the city food bank), collaborates regularly with Junghyun Park at Atomix in New York and Mingoo Kang at Mingles in Seoul on four-hand events, and mentors a visible group of female pastry chefs in Hong Kong including Nocar Lo, her long-time head pastry chef.
Notable dishes at TATE Dining Room
Several TATE dishes have become reference points in Hong Kong fine dining. Ode to Scallop pairs a seared scallop with uni and caviar velouté, a dish the Michelin Guide has cited specifically. Ode to Pigeon, from the tenth-anniversary Ode to Sauce menu, pairs a salami-based sauce with pigeon meat and fermented leaf mustard. Lau uses tofu and vegetables as centrepiece ingredients rather than always reaching for luxury: she has said vegetable and tofu can also give you boundless surprises when they are creatively and appropriately cooked. The Jade tasting menu runs through ten-plus Ode to Ingredients courses. At Mora, tofu appears in Chinese regional variations across a shorter but equally narrative menu. JIJA serves the same house-made non-GMO tofu and black bean tofu in a more relaxed setting inspired by Yunnan cuisine.
Vicky Lau awards and recognition
- 2013: First Michelin star at TATE Dining Room, six months after opening
- 2015: Asia Best Female Chef (Asia 50 Best Restaurants)
- 2018: TATE Dining Room joins Relais & Châteaux
- 2021: Two Michelin stars at TATE Dining Room (first female chef in Asia to hold two stars at own restaurant)
- 2023: Michelin Green Star for Mora
- 2024: First Michelin star for Mora
- 2026: Two Michelin stars at TATE retained; launches JIJA at Kimpton Hong Kong
Vicky Lau impact on Hong Kong gastronomy and female leadership
Lau most concrete contribution is the 2021 two-Michelin-star promotion that made her the first female chef in Asia to hold two stars at her own restaurant. TATE Dining Room retained both stars through the 2026 guide. The recognition came nine years after her first star and demonstrated that a chef-founder in Asia could reach the two-star tier without backing from a major hotel or restaurant group. Hong Kong now has eleven two-star restaurants as of 2025, and TATE is the only one led by a female chef-owner.
The second contribution is the soy and sustainability programme at Mora. Lau argument is that tofu can sit at the centre of high-end fine dining rather than as a vegetarian substitute, and that regional Chinese soy traditions contain enough variety to anchor a full tasting menu. The 2023 Green Star and 2024 Michelin star recognition confirmed the model. Her non-GMO soybean supply chain, home-made tofu workshop, and board role at Feeding Hong Kong place her among the most visible advocates in Asian fine dining for sustainable and socially engaged cooking.
Within the current pan-Asian fine-dining generation she sits alongside Jason Liu at LING LONG in Beijing and Shanghai, Junghyun Park at Atomix in New York, and Mingoo Kang at Mingles in Seoul, as a chef whose work has reshaped how Chinese, Korean and pan-Asian regional cuisines are expressed at the top of the global fine-dining market.
Vicky Lau FAQ
How many Michelin stars does TATE Dining Room have?
Two Michelin stars, held since 2021 and retained in the 2026 Michelin Guide Hong Kong and Macau. The restaurant earned its first star in 2013, six months after opening, and maintained one star for nine consecutive years before the 2021 promotion.
Where is TATE Dining Room?
On Hollywood Road in Sheung Wan, Hong Kong. The restaurant moved to this two-storey, 3,800-square-foot location in 2016 from its original 26-seat site on Elgin Street. The interior is designed in neutrals, gold and muted pinks, reflecting Lau graphic-design sensibility.
Is Vicky Lau really the first female chef in Asia with two Michelin stars?
Yes. When TATE Dining Room was promoted to two Michelin stars in the 2021 Michelin Guide Hong Kong and Macau, Lau became the first female chef in Asia to hold two stars at her own restaurant. She has retained that status through the 2026 guide.
What is Mora?
Lau second restaurant, opened in 2021 on Upper Lascar Row in Sheung Wan. Mora is a tofu- and soy-focused fine-dining restaurant built around the versatility of soybeans in Chinese cuisine. Mora was awarded a Michelin Green Star in the 2023 guide for its sustainability programme and a full Michelin star in the 2024 guide.
What is JIJA?
Lau newest restaurant, opened in 2026 on the 15th floor of Kimpton Hong Kong Tsim Sha Tsui. JIJA is more relaxed than TATE and Mora, inspired by Yunnan cuisine, and uses the same house-made non-GMO tofu and soy products as the two Michelin-starred restaurants. JIJA seats approximately 50 guests with dark wood, muted silver, and Miao weaving-inspired fabrics.
What is next for Vicky Lau
Following the 2026 launch of JIJA at Kimpton Hong Kong and the 2026 Michelin star retention at TATE, Lau remains focused on the core TATE programme while expanding the soy-focused work through Ān Soy (her lifestyle brand), the tofu workshop supplying her restaurants, and the mentorship of female pastry and kitchen chefs. She continues on the Feeding Hong Kong board. Her public Instagram (@vickylau_cheffe) is the best source for current updates.
