Shangri-La Kuala Lumpur is delighted to announce Scott Brands as their new Executive Chef. In his role, Brands will lead the culinary team and oversee several dining outlets including Shang Palace and Lemon Garden, as well as the corporate and events catering operations.
Chef Brands joins the team bringing a wealth of experience to the table with over 16 years with the Shangri-La Group, working with the brand since 2007. Prior to his new position, he spent time in the Middle East as part of the pre-opening team at Shangri-La Barr-al Jissah in Muscat. Brands then worked across Asia, in Beijing with Shangri-la Chines World, as well as Singapore, Jakarta and Manila before coming to Malaysia to join the team in Kuala Lumpur. Born and raised in Scotland, Brands always dreamt of travelling the world. Since the early days of his career, his love for creating locally sourced and sustainable dishes has continually grown. Passionate about the Shangri La’s sustainable food programme ‘Rooted in Nature’, which highlights the importance of sustainable dining through ethically sourced ingredients, Brands is eager to update existing offerings across the hotels dining outlets to give guests healthier menu options.
SHANGRI-LA RASA RIA’S EXECUTIVE CHEF BEN LEE LAUNCHES VEGAN MENU
Ben Lee joined the Shangri-La Rasa Ria in Kota Kinabalu over three years ago and was appointed Executive Chef in 2022. Boasting15 years of experience in Japanese cuisine focusing on the art of Teppanyaki, Lee spent time training under a Teppanyaki Master in Tokyo as well as working in a selection of well-known Japanese restaurants and hotels in South East Asia and around the world. Originally born in Malaysia,Lee’s passion for cooking started at home learning techniques inspired by his parents. His love for food grew quickly and lead Lee to study culinary arts and chef training at KDU College IMI Switzerland before embarking into his first venture at the Renaissance group. Most recently, this January saw Lee introduce a special menu to elevate the vegan dining offering across the three on-site restaurants. Available at Kozan Teppan-Yaki, The Eighth and Oceano Modern Grill, the vegan menus use quality ingredients and punchy flavours to create refined, gourmet dishes from breakfast through to dinner. Chef Lee introduced the new menus after noticing increased demand for vegan options from guests, particularly those from the UK.