David Laris, Entrepreneur, Restaurateur and Chef at Laris

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on Friday, December 04, 2009 12:00 AM

Last year you opened quite a few restaurants in Shanghai. What have you been up to lately? Anything with the Expo?

I'm doing a product for a hotel launching next week in Hong Kong, consulting for the Australian and US Pavilions, and creating four different concepts within the Expo. We are also working with Mattel on branding Barbie Chocolates. My vision is to create an F&B company that can do it all.

You are a very busy man. How much of the menu is truly you versus your sous chefs?

At the moment it is mostly me. I'm in the kitchen a lot. My sous chefs can put themselves in the menu but using my style. For example, my first chef is now at the Park Hyatt. We are still friends but when his style started taking its own direction it was time for him to have his own kitchen. Hopefully in the future, my sous chefs will be able to move on to a kitchen in a restaurant of mine.

What item on the menu are you the most enthusiastic about?

In a broad sense, the entire re-approach to the menu. Getting back to concentrating on dishes that will focus on the best quality and the best ingredients. I've also restructured the tasting menu, which is now theme inspired. The next theme is on Christmas and holiday foods - I'm taking iconic East and West foods and reinventing them. Another theme I'm working on for the future is my take on comfort food. Eventually, the intent is to create a cookbook based upon these menus.

What is your secret for consistently maintaining high standards in your restaurant?

I have an uncompromising nature. We will do it! We will work three times harder if necessary. Consistency is important to the business. There are restaurants that are up and down. It is because the key people come and go. But if you believe in your product and instill it in your staff - instill your work ethic - it will work.

What do you do to enjoy Shanghai?

Opening restaurants. I enjoy doing this because this is Shanghai. I enjoy being in the business I'm in. At the end of day, I can have a glass of champagne in one of my restaurants, sit back and go ‘Yeah' - that keeps me going.