Charles’ Culinary Journey
Chef and entrepreneur Charles Cheung (2014 BBA Marketing and Management) followed his passion for cooking and embarked on a different career path unlike his school peers.
Charles started his culinary journey after graduation, in which he secured an apprenticeship at a three-Michelin-starred restaurant, Forum Restaurant, and learnt the foundation of cooking modern Chinese cuisine. He later worked at reputable Chinese restaurants such as Foo Ka Chinese Restaurant and Celebrity Cuisine, where he further refined techniques for crafting traditional delicacies.
The pivotal moment came in 2020 when he founded Catty and Tael, and grasped the opportunity of home dining during COVID-19 to roll out the ready-to-serve fish maw and abalone set at its online store. The indulgent home meal set was a blast and earned Catty and Tael reputation in offering affordable yet luxurious Chinese food.
To echo Charles’ cooking philosophy of “Delivering the taste of genuine happiness to guests”, Catty and Tael also offers festive trio gift sets that come with crispy amber walnut, caramel sea-salt rice cracker and crunchy fish with salt and pepper, as well as private catering services which Charles leads his team in hosting exclusive lunch and dinner receptions.
Driving Innovative Chinese Cuisine @Catty and Tael
To set Catty and Tael aside from industry peers, Charles’s articulates heritage flavor with a contemporary twist.
Check out the dinner menu and you’ll be enchanted by how honeydew melon chicken soup(爵士湯) is reinvented. Charles gives an innovative twist of tradition soup by serving it with seasonal Shizuoka melon from Japan and pacific geoduck, and renaming it to “Double Boiled Shizuoka Melon GeoDuck” soup, celebrating flavorful ingredients of East-meets-West.
“I’d like to spice up modern cuisine in a playful way, so you’d always find our dishes with a contemporary twist,” says Charles.
What’s next for Catty and Tael?
Catty and Tael loves to work with restaurant chains to inspire synergy. It partnered with Pizza Hut in 2022 and launched “Buddha Jumps Over the Wall” limited-edition pizza. Earlier this year, CattyandTael also partnered with Ciak and introduced Fish Maw Pasta.
Coming up, Catty and Tael is partnering with Ser Wong Fun (蛇王芬) and launches a 5-course dinner menu in this summer season.
Having an appetite for Charles’s contemporary cuisine? Stay tuned for the latest news of Catty and Tael @cattyandtael.
P.S. HKUST students, staff and alumni can enjoy 12% off at Catty and Tael’s online store.