Experience another chapter of the Tongue and Throat Memories programme! Visiting chef this time is Toronto-born and based Craig Wong. His culinary practice is deeply shaped by his multigenerational Caribbean and Chinese heritage.
He invites to enjoy and share his specialities during the celebrations of Bwa Kayiman—Lakouzémi. In Haitian Creole, the word lakou is used to describe more than a physical piece of land or a small yard; it also refers to the locus where all important aspects of community take place. It is a home, a place of kinship. Departing from this holistic social institution, and continuing deliberations on the political, philosophical, and cultural legacies of the Haitian Revolution and the Caribbean region, Bwa Kayiman reaches its third edition in 2025.
Portraying his culinary practice as a form of soul-searching, Chef Craig Wong has long been in conversation with his Chinese grandmother. Through shared moments of cooking and storytelling, he has inherited the memory of her community and place of origin—experiences which have become foundational to his own sense of cultural rootedness. After graduating in culinary arts from L’Institut Paul Bocuse in Lyon, Chef Wong honed his craft in several Michelin-starred kitchens, blending technical mastery with the ancestral knowledge of resistance and perseverance of his people.
In line with the communal ethos at the heart of Bwa Kayiman—Lakouzémi, Chef Wong invites all in attendance to convene at HKW’s Lili Elbe Garden around his family stories as well as those behind his signature dishes such as jerk chicken chow mein, popcorn shrimp fried rice, oxtail mac n’ cheese, JunePlum patties, and the unmissable Rum Punch.