Vancouver-born chef Warren Chow wins Michelin's 2023 Young Chef Award

An eight-month-old restaurant in Vancouver has two reasons to celebrate after the city’s 2023 Michelin Guide selections were revealed Thursday night –a recommendation from the prestigious culinary judge and an award for their celebrated chef.

Wildlight Kitchen + Bar’s Warren Chow is the first-ever winner of the Young Chef Award, which was not presented during Michelin’s 2022 debut in Vancouver.

Chow, a native of the city, received the award on the heels of his 31st birthday and has been a staple in B.C.’s gastronomical scene for years.

As a member of Culinary Team BC, which won a gold medal at the 2022 Culinary World Cup in Luxemberg, Chow is no stranger to prestigious awards.

According to Wildlight’s website, Chow “rose through the ranks in notable kitchens” such as Kelowna’s Mission Hill Family Estate Winery and Burnaby’s since-closed PearTree Restaurant.

He landed his first executive chef role in 2019 at Chinatown’s Juniper Kitchen + Bar before moving onto Bauhaus. Both establishments have since closed their doors.

In an interview with Michelin earlier this week, Chow said growing up watching the Food Network inspired his passion for cooking at a young age.

“Seeing the chiefs on TV take raw ingredients and turn them into composed dishes was so fascinating to me,” said Chow. “I wanted to learn how to fill my repertoire with enough knowledge to do the same.”

Years later, he says he’s constantly inspired by the ability of good food to bring people together.

Despite witnessing the downfalls of restaurants trying to survive in one of the world’s most expensive cities, Chow described Vancouver’s food scene as “thriving.”

“We are very fortunate to have not only the vast selection of global cuisines available, but also the quality of them,” said Chow. “With the Michelin Guide now in Vancouver, it secures us as a destination dining city, which I feel a lot of great restaurants deserve to have a spotlight on.”

When he’s not in the kitchen, professionally, Chow says he enjoys cooking at home—though the meals he makes for himself and with his girlfriend are usually simpler.

Those keen to get a taste of his skills can head to Wildlight, one of six new additions to Michelin’s list of recommended restaurants, which is located at 107-5380 University Boulevard.

The other additions include Boulevard Kitchen & Oyster Bar, Elisa, Moltaqa, Seaport City Seafood and Tetsu Sushi Bar.