Starting younger, aiming higher
In Jinan, at the Sheraton Hotel, Henry Zhang is another Chinese general manager who is using local knowledge to his advantage. The Sheraton is strategically located in the business district of the capital of Shandong province, and the 42-year-old Zhang milks this benefit by actively catering to the business community, whether in facilities, or in the offerings of his various food and beverage outlets.
Private rooms for business meetings are the norm rather than an exception.
In middle management, there are now more Chinese in charge than ever before. The most apparent revolution is in the kitchen, where young chefs are taking the opportunity to shine.
And, they are venturing beyond familiar territory.
Henry Li, 27, is the chef at Flair, the avant-garde fusion dining destination at the Ritz-Carlton in Tianjin. At the launch party, young Li wowed guests with his little plates of Asian appetizers ranging from pretty rolls of sushi to a very authentic laksa noodle.
The fact that the young chef was given such an important task spoke volumes about the amount of trust invested in him. He says he found his unusual flavor palate during a seven-year stint in Shenzhen where he was apprenticed in a Southeast Asian restaurant.
Li is proof that young Chinese chef, given the right exposure and opportunities, can compete with the best imported culinary talents.
Charlie Zha, the American-Chinese hotel manager still deeply rooted in his ethnic heritage, says he believes in nurturing young talent. That's why the Ritz-Carlton Tianjin boasts yet another young but equally talented mixologist.
Paul Zhang is barely legal, and at 21, he has been mixing cocktails for four years. His youth, passion and enthusiasm earned him the honor of creating the hotel's signature drink, the China Rose martini.
There are 15 ingredients in the recipe, and he would only tell me that it included roses and dandelion. To get the other ingredients, he says, you would have to return to Flair and drink more cocktails.
That is the voice of China's hospitality future: Young, confident and friendly. We definitely want to see more of these Young Turks.
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