Chef Chui Lee Luk
Chui Lee Luk is the fourth and current owner of Claude’s. Born in Singapore, she spent her childhood in Malaysia and then Sydney. She has always been fascinated by the preparation of food, as the tradition of good eating has always been part of her life. After qualifying as a lawyer, Chui realised that her calling was not to practise law, but to cook. She firstly enlisted for work experience with Christine Manfield at Paramount; a move that confirmed her aspirations to own and run a restaurant.
She followed that by spending time working with inspiring female chefs Anabel Savill at Emporio Armani and Kylie Kwong at Wockpool. She then headed to Cleopatra in Blackheath to work with Dany Chouet. It was there that she found her passion for French cuisine.
In the next stage of her culinary education, she joined the kitchens of Banc to work with Liam Tomlin. Then she set her sights on Claude’s to learn from Tim Pak Poy, who admired her “sensitivity, drive, passion and intellect”. In turn, she saw in Pak Poy the same vision for fusing Asian heritage and classical French technique.
It is this innate understanding of South-East Asian, Chinese and French cuisine that gives Chui’s a unique culinary edge. Moreover, Chui’s cooking has always come from the heart and she regards creating harmonious dishes that can be appreciated on many levels, as her paramount goal.
History of Claude’s
Claude’s restaurant has been at the forefront of French fine dining and culinary inventiveness in Australia throughout its history.
Celebrating its 35th anniversary in May 2011, an impressive collection of chefs have presided at 10 Oxford Street Woollahra. Founding chef and owner Claude Corne opened the restaurant in 1976. It has since been owned by Damien and Josephine Pignolet, followed by Tim Pak Poy, all bold proponents of modern cuisine.
Tim Pak Poy handed over the reins to the restaurant to Chui Lee Luk in 2004 and for the past seven years, Chui’s sensitive creativity and ingenuity has presented diners with delightful, challenging and always exciting dining experiences.
