“The hardest question is when someone asks me, “besides food, what are you interested in?” I'm very boring, but there's nothing else. I love everything about cooking!”

He commented on where his love for cooking and restaurant life originated.

“At the age of 8, I started working at my parents’ Chinese restaurant on the weekends just for fun, maybe playing some games at the back and then running food and things like that as I didn’t see my parents enough otherwise.

“It was my first introduction to getting paid for a job – I got five dollars. Fast forward another four years, I was 12 years old, and I was still doing the same thing.

“My dad was cooking, and he flipped this omelet perfectly. He told me to come in and flip it and I landed it perfectly too. After that, I couldn't keep myself out of the kitchen.

Journey of culinary talent

“At the age of 13, I wanted to start an apprenticeship - the head chef at the Sheraton Mirage in Port Douglas would come in to eat at my parents’ restaurant all the time and I popped out my head while I was cooking. I introduced myself and got an apprenticeship role working at the five-star resort while I was also working at my parents’ restaurant and going to school.”

At age 14, he pursued his career by working at a five-star resort on the weekends followed by culinary school before moving to London to work at the three Michelin-starred restaurant Gordon Ramsay, where he met his mentor, Clare Smyth.

“After graduating from high school, I went down to Melbourne and started working there, and also won a scholarship to go to France and cook in Bordeaux. After finishing my cooking college at the age of 19, I was a head chef and I received recognition with awards like Young Chef of the Year,” Lo recalls.

“This encouraged me to explore bigger opportunities, so I went to London and worked for Gordon at Restaurant Gordon Ramsay.

“I moved back to Australia for my wife (who was my girlfriend at the time). In Australia, I worked as a head chef of a two-hat restaurant called Matteo's for three years, kept the two hats and received many accolades. Once again, this encouraged me to push the boundaries.”

With a desire and hunger to push boundaries and show what he could offer above other chefs in kitchens globally he moved to New York City and spent a year at three Michelin-starred restaurant Eleven Madison Park where he learned to push himself in the world of fine dining.

Lo relishes the heat of competition

He had to impress celebrity judges such as Padma Lakshmi, Tom Colicchio and Gail Simmons along the way to taking out the culinary title.

During Buddha’s run on “Top Chef,” he won two Quickfires, four Elimination Challenges and the ultimate challenge to be named this season’s winner. Some of his memorable dishes throughout the season include the Doppelgänger challenge where he made his rendition of “Strawberries and Cream,” “Marry Me Pasta” Amatriciana for the family challenge, his parker rolls and ham butter for Restaurant Wars, and his space-themed pavlova appropriately called “Apavlova 14.”

In the finale, Lo, Evelyn Garcia and Sarah Welch cooked the most important meal of their lives. In the end, Lo wowed the judges with his four-course progressive menu.

Top Chef judge Padma Lakshmi remarked that Lo “showed us a dazzling firework display of technical skill and really took us on a journey.”

Huso and beyond

Lo is now a resident of Brooklyn and Executive Chef at Huso, the Michelin-plate restaurant inside Marky’s Caviar in New York City serving an eight-course tasting menu.

He takes great pride with being the face of Huso and having been able to showcase his talents as the eventual winner of Top Chef but says that there is still plenty more to come and that he is hungrier than ever to achieve his goals.

“With the opportunities that I've had post show, it's been incredible. It just does not stop – it’s the show that keeps on giving.

“There are a couple of things happening in the future. It’s very exciting and I can't really say what's happening, but I'm pretty sure you'll find out later on.

“One of my biggest goals is to have a three-Michelin- star restaurant in New York City. For now, you can catch me on Hayu!”

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