Chef Winnie Chen is currently a partner and the head chef at Fu’s Repair Shop, which was recently named best new restaurant in Edmonton by Edify magazine and, prior to that, was longlisted in EnRoute magazine as one of Canada’s best new restaurants. Chef Winnie started cooking professionally at 19 years old as a part-time line cook. She had always had an interest in food and cooking, but it was always more of a hobby and after-school job, which she largely resisted as a career choice due to parental pressure. Food and fashion have been two things Chef Winnie has always been passionate about, so her food reflects that. She learned to respect food and cook in a very uninhibited way by her mentors. She was lucky enough to be taken to a lot of culinary competitions, events, and festivals to see the more fun and social side of the art that complements the more intense but rewarding grind of line work. Winnie applies this mindset and culture to the way she works and runs her kitchen.