Buddha Lo

Kah-wai “Buddha” Lo[1] (born 21 August 1991), known professionally as Buddha Lo, is an Australian chef and television personality. He is best known for winning two consecutive seasons of the American television series Top Chef, becoming its first two-time winner.

Buddha Lo
Born (1991-08-21) 21 August 1991
NationalityAustralian
OccupationChef
Known forTop Chef: Houston
Top Chef: World All-Stars
Spouse
Rebekah Pedler
​
(m. 2018)​

Early life

Lo was born in Australia to a Hongkonger father and Malaysian mother.[2][3] He was raised in Port Douglas, along with his older brother, where his family owns a Chinese restaurant called the Jade Inn.[3][4] During his childhood, he earned the nickname "Buddha" due to becoming chubby from "eating too much of [his] dad's food."[3][5] Lo started working at the family restaurant at age 12.[6] At age 14, he began a school-based culinary apprenticeship, working at a five-star hotel and resort on his weekends.[6][7]

Career

Lo moved to Melbourne at age 17, after graduating high school, landing a job at Matteo's Restaurant and enrolling at the William Angliss Institute.[6][8] While in culinary school, Lo won a scholarship for a two-month stage at the two Michelin star restaurant Café Lavinal at the Château Cordeillan-Bages hotel in Pauillac, France.[8]

Returning to Australia, Lo was hired by Raymond Capaldi to work at his restaurant Hare & Grace, becoming its head chef by age 19.[8][9] After two years with Capaldi, Lo moved to London, where he worked under Clare Smyth and Matt Abé at Restaurant Gordon Ramsay.[7] In 2014, he received the Gordon Ramsay Excellence Award.[10] After two years in London, Lo staged at various kitchens throughout Europe, including France, Sweden, and Copenhagen, before moving back to Melbourne.[9] Lo was a guest chef at various events, including the Melbourne Cup and the Australian Open, and became a chef ambassador for Lavazza and Tabasco.[9]

Lo then moved to New York City, working at Eleven Madison Park for a year.[11] In 2019, he became the executive chef at HŪSO, a small caviar-focused restaurant located behind Marky's Caviar retail shop on Madison Avenue.[11][12][13]

Top Chef

In 2022, Lo was announced as a contestant on the nineteenth season of Top Chef, titled Top Chef: Houston.[14] A longtime fan of the series, Lo started watching Top Chef at age 15, adding it to his career bucket list.[13] Prior to filming, he binge-watched eight seasons, taking notes on past chefs' mistakes and formulating a strategy for the competition.[13][15] He would eventually win the season, receiving its US$250,000 prize.[13] Buddha dedicated his victory to his late father, Tze-Kwong "Tony" Lo, who died from cancer just two days before he got the call to appear on the show.[5] He was then invited back to compete in the twentieth season, Top Chef: World All-Stars, which included former winners and finalists from several international editions of Top Chef.[16] Lo extensively studied British cuisine during the three months between the conclusion of Houston airing and the beginning of filming for World All-Stars.[2] He was once again declared the winner, receiving his second US$250,000 prize and becoming the series' first repeat champion.[17][18]

Personal life

Lo is married to pastry chef Rebekah Pedler.[19] The two met each other while working at Hare & Grace.[19] In June 2023, Pedler announced she was pregnant with twins.[20]

References
  1. Riordan, Olivia (14 August 2013). "Young Chef of the Year 2014 award". Good Food. Archived from the original on 7 May 2018. Retrieved 2 June 2022.
  2. Bloom, Mike (9 June 2023). "'Top Chef: World All-Stars' Winner Buddha Lo Breaks Down His Historic Victory". Parade. Archived from the original on 10 June 2023. Retrieved 12 June 2023.
  3. Mancini, Vince (7 June 2022). "Top Chef Winner Buddha Lo On Growing Up Eating Dugong And Why You Can't Call Employees Donkeys Anymore". Uproxx. Archived from the original on 7 June 2022. Retrieved 11 June 2023.
  4. Calderone, Ana (2 June 2022). "'Top Chef' Crowns a New Winner: 'It Was Always Win or Nothing'". People. Archived from the original on 3 June 2022. Retrieved 16 June 2023.
  5. "Buddha Lo on What's Next After His 'Top Chef: Houston' Victory (EXCLUSIVE)". Marky's. 4 June 2022. Archived from the original on 12 June 2023. Retrieved 12 June 2023.
  6. "Interview: Buddha Lo of Matteos". We Know Melbourne. 6 September 2016. Archived from the original on 24 March 2023. Retrieved 27 June 2022.
  7. Marsh, Calum (1 November 2022). "View From the Top: In Interview With Buddha Lo". Sharp. Archived from the original on 10 November 2022. Retrieved 12 June 2023.
  8. "Angliss alum Buddha Lo reaches new heights". William Angliss Institute. 17 June 2022. Archived from the original on 30 June 2022. Retrieved 27 June 2022.
  9. "Buddha Lo". chefbuddhalo.com. Archived from the original on 31 March 2023. Retrieved 11 June 2023.
  10. McNevin, Hilary; Grundy, Roslyn (10 November 2014). "Piccolo: Melbourne food news". Good Food. Archived from the original on 12 June 2023. Retrieved 27 June 2022.
  11. Kravitz Hoeffner, Melissa (6 June 2022). "You can now taste the Top Chef winner's dishes in NYC". Time Out. Archived from the original on 7 June 2022. Retrieved 27 June 2022.
  12. Fabricant, Florence (16 April 2019). "A Caviar Shop With a Tasting Menu, on the Upper East Side". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 16 April 2019. Retrieved 27 June 2022.
  13. Lewis, Hunter (2 June 2022). "The Future of Fine Dining Is in Good Hands with the Season 19 'Top Chef' Winner". Food & Wine. Archived from the original on 3 June 2022. Retrieved 12 June 2023.
  14. Campbell-Schmitt, Adam (24 January 2022). "'Top Chef' Houston: Here Are All the Chefs Competing This Season". Food & Wine. Archived from the original on 24 January 2022. Retrieved 24 January 2022.
  15. Smith, Crawford (8 June 2022). "Top Chef Season 19 Winner Buddha Lo On Winning, Cooking, And Success Formulas - Exclusive Interview". Mashed. Archived from the original on 7 June 2022. Retrieved 27 June 2022.
  16. Leasca, Stacey (25 January 2023). "'Top Chef' Is Back, These Are the All-Stars Competing This Year". Food & Wine. Archived from the original on 25 January 2023. Retrieved 25 January 2023.
  17. Campbell-Schmitt, Adam (8 June 2023). "Spoiler Alert: Here's the Winner of 'Top Chef' Season 20". Food & Wine. Archived from the original on 12 June 2023. Retrieved 12 June 2023.
  18. Maas, Jennifer (9 June 2023). "'Top Chef' Season 20 Winner on Making History as First World All-Star and Why They 'Definitely' Can't Take Over for Host Padma Lakshmi". Variety. Archived from the original on 9 June 2023. Retrieved 12 June 2023.
  19. Calderone, Ana (22 September 2022). "'Top Chef's Buddha Lo Jokes His 'Marry Me Pasta' Could Have Been Named 'Divorce Me Pasta' If He Lost". People. Archived from the original on 22 September 2022. Retrieved 16 June 2023.
  20. Pedler, Rebekah [@rebekahp87] (16 June 2023). ""Fire one double" ✌🏼 ——> 11.11". Archived from the original on 17 June 2023 – via Instagram.
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