Ray Leung, the executive chef of Dragonfly Sushi and Sake Company, sets the bar for Japanese cuisine.
He has trained alongside Japanese Iron Chef Masaharu Morimoto and became the executive chef of Dragonfly Sushi at the age of 21. This year he was named a Best Chef by “Best Chefs America” — a peer review method that identifies America’s best chefs. He may seem intimidating when you’re on the other side of the sushi line, but getting him to crack a smile is easier than you may think.
Leung grew up in Hong Kong playing ping-pong for fun and always had the best lunch of all of his classmates.
“They looked at me weird because I had the weird food,” Leung said.
While the other kids ate ham-and-cheese sandwiches, Leung’s lunchbox contained gourmet noodles and fish. When asked about his most recent success, winning the Iron Chef Gainesville competition, he claims he was not nervous.
“It’s what we do every day. It’s just cooking. We’re in there for one reason — to strive and cook with our heart,” he said.
The judges at the competition may have seemed intimidating, but Leung disagreed.
“No one there was better than anybody. Once you’re in the kitchen, you get to work,” he said. “You grind and try to produce food out of love.”
The dynamics of leading a kitchen has little to do with food.
“It’s not about cooking; it’s about people-managing,” he said. “It’s important to understand your crew and each and every single personality throughout the kitchen.”
On the night of the competition, Dragonfly was dead silent. After the win, members of the kitchen returned to the restaurant. Employees applauded, praising every member as they walked through the doors. They cheered as Leung raised his trophy and gave high-fives all around. Applause and shouting echoed throughout the restaurant until closing.
On Leung’s days off, he sleeps in and watches TV like everyone else. Golf tees are scattered around his apartment like guitar picks. When he first started Dragonfly in Orlando, Leung worked for 90 consecutive days.
“It was a piece of cake,” he said. “It’s because I was committed, passionate and driven.”
For those looking to pursue a career in the culinary arts, Leung said, “You’re in or you’re out. You have to be fully committed, and you have to love it. There is no thinking that it might work. No one wants to eat food prepared by a mediocre chef.”
