“i’m a perfectionist and for the past 30 years of my career, i’ve...

October10,2017TomyDearfriendsandBelovedguests,“I’maperfectionistandforthepast30yearsofmycareer,I’vebeenlookingforthatunrealistic“momentofperfection”;ThreeMichelinstars,World’sTop50restaurant…untilnowIrealized,atthismoment-Itisperfectasitis”SincedayoneofRestaurantANDREItoldmyselfIwanttoletallmydinershaveahand-writtencardbymewhentheycelebratetheirspecialmomentwithus;untiltoday,RestaurantANDREwouldonlyopenforoperationwhenImyselfamcooking;Iwillgreeteverytable,everysingleguest,makesurewehave30happyguestseveryservice;mywifewilldecoratetherestauranteverydaypersonally-flowerarrangement,roomscentandevendowntoeverysingletoiletry…Wemovesaroundthetablesoftheentirerestaurantfrom1stto3rdflooreverysingleservice,changetheconfigurationtofitperfectlytheroomandtheagendaofeachguest;wearestilldoingit.Wedecidetochangethemenuspontaneouslywheneverwewant,notasingleoverlapdishfromlunchtodinneronthesameday;wearestilldoingit.WedeterminedtomakeSingaporeproud,makeAsiaproud,tobeoneofthebestrestaurantsintheworld;wedidit,andarestilldoingit!Weneverdoubtedourselves,althougheverythingwetrytoachieve,noonehaseverdoneitbefore,butthatdoesn’tmatter,becauseweknowweareuniqueandwearestrivingforour“perfection”.Ihaveaquoteonthecoverofmybiography,itsays:“ThemomentIperfectadish,isthemomentIletgofrommymenu”IstartedtocooksinceIwas13,andthismonthwillbethe30thyearofmyprofessionalculinaryjourney.IwanttogobacktowhereIstarted,Iwanttogobacktocooking,haveabalancedlifeandcookhappily.Ialwaysaskthisofmybrigade,“Whyyouwanttobeachef?”Thehappinessofcookingabeautiful,tastydish,notforthefame,notforhavingathousandLikes,butthroughtheprocessofbeingatrueprofessional,makesusabetterperson;nowI’msoproudtoseethateachoneofRestaurantANDRE’steambeingHonest-Passionate-Creative-Flexible-andPositiveindividuals.

WEHAVEBUILTSOMETHINGUNBEATABLEANDUNBELIEVABLEHERE.IamwritingtoofficiallyinformyouthatI,AndreChiang,onbehalfofRestaurantANDREinSingapore,ampreparingforasignificanttransformationbyFebruary2018;specifically,Ihavedecidedtore-prioritizemyprofessionallifefromearlynextyear,andassuch,IwishtokindlyreturnmyMichelinstarsandalsorequesttonotbeincludedinthe2018editionoftheMichelinGuideSingapore.FollowingMichelinGuide’sexpansioninAsia,IunderstandthatMichelinwillsoonlaunchneweditionsinBangkokandTaiwan(wheremyotherrestaurantRAWislocatedinTaipei).AsmyhopeisthatRAWwillbethepureplacewhereIcanfocusoneducating,developingothers,andcookingaftermyretirementfromRestaurantANDRE,IalsorequestthatRAWnotbeincludedintheMichelinGuideTaiwan(orTaipei).Youmightask,whynow?Becausethisisthebestmomentofmylife,Iwalkedintotherestaurant,intothekitchen,Iseeeveryone,everythinginorder,polished,flawless,Ihaveneverseenanyrestaurantlikethis!EveryoneofthemiseverythingIhopedfor,thisistheperfectteamthatIwillnotseeanywhereelseagain,andwehaveachievedeverythingwewanttoachieve.AndreandhisbrigadewillservetheirlastserviceatRestaurantANDREonthe14thofFebruary2018;afterthis,therewillbeafewprojectsin2018and2019,ofwhichwewishtosharewithyoumoreinthenearfuture.Afterthirtyyearsofaprofessionalculinarycareer,returningtowhereIwasbornfortyyearsagohasalwaysbeenmydream,passingoneverythingIhavetothenextgenerationinTaiwanandChinaismyduty,andprovidingyoungchefsabettereducationandculinarycultureisanurgentpriorityforme.AlthoughRestaurantANDRE’slegacywillsoonbecomeafondmemorytotheworld’sgourmets,Ihavenoregrets,aswehaveachievedallthatwehavewantedtoforSingaporeandforAsia.Now,itistimeformetogohome.“I’maperfectionist,andthisisperfect.”AndreChiang