Are you looking for ways to disappoint a Chinese parent? Hana Zhou has some advice. She did everything she was supposed to: college, a postgraduate degree, a steady job at a state-owned enterprise. Then one day, she chucked it all in the bin. She decided to start all over again and learn to be a chef. She now helms the kitchen at the Shanghai branch of Ortensia. The original restaurant opened in 2020 in Paris. Refined French cuisine with subtle Chinese and Japanese elements earned Ortensia its first Michelin star in 2023. Ortensia then set its sights for Michelin stardom in Shanghai and opened its second branch in Zhangyuan, that poshly refurbished lane house community in Jing'an. We had the opportunity to try Hana's menu at Ortensia Shanghai, and suffice to say, disappointment never tasted so good. Today she dishes out the details on her gutsy career move and how it feels to succeed on her own terms.

CNS: You came to restaurant work rather indirectly. Tell us about that.

Hana: Yeah! I actually have a master's degree in finance. After I graduated, I got a job working at a bank. I hated it. I only lasted a few months before I just quit.

CNS: How many months? Surely you know exactly how many.

Hana: Six months in Xi'an, where I'm from. Then I came to Shanghai, and I got my first restaurant job at Scarpetta and Coquille.

CNS: Did you have any training?

Hana: No. All of my training was on the job. Anna (Bautista), the chef there, she was an inspiration. I didn't know a female chef could work in the kitchen like her. She was such a great teacher. I really lucked out in my career, because I had her as a mentor and then Stefan Stiller at Tai'an Table.

CNS: What did you hate the most about working for a bank?

Hana: My co-workers. They were so boring, and they bullied me! They made me do all of this degrading work, like counting money or, even worse, cleaning the floor! I didn't work hard to get a master's degree so I could clean floors.

CNS: Anyone I know who has worked in a kitchen has told me that it wasn't much different for them when they started out. Didn't Anna make you clean floors or wash dishes?

Hana: No.

CNS: She didn't make you peel potatoes?

Hana: No, not really. Again, I think I'm really lucky. Every chef I've worked for has been so kind to me.

CNS: How long before you burned yourself?

Hana: I think one month. That's not a problem for me anymore, though, because I use induction stoves. The worst thing that might happen is getting scalded from a hot oil splash or something like that.

CNS: Did you ever doubt your decision?

Hana: For sure. My dad's not very supportive. He's just a very traditional Chinese father. Everyone else in my family has "prestigious" careers, like lawyers, doctors and teachers. He's ashamed of me. I thought maybe after three or four years he might come around and accept my career choice. Even now, I'll post something that I've cooked in my WeChat moments to show him that I am successful, but he never likes what I post.

CNS: Maybe it's just because he's older and doesn't know how to use WeChat…

Hana: No. He just doesn't approve of what I do.

CNS: What does he do?

Hana: He's an engineer.

CNS: Has he tried your food?

Hana: Never. He doesn't like this kind of food. My mom and my sister are very supportive though. It's just my dad who disapproves.

CNS: What dish really made you care about food?

Hana: My mom inspired me, but not because she was a good cook. If I wanted to eat something good, I had learn how to do it myself. I would go on the Internet, learn the steps and do it myself.

CNS: Surely, someone made a good meal for you when you were a kid.

Hana: Actually my grandma. She can make really good traditional dumplings and noodles by hand.

CNS: How does your French cooking stand up to your Chinese cooking?

Hana: It's funny you should ask that. When I worked at Alain Ducasse in Macau, I made a dish. It was this bao with duck ham, and the chef de cuisine was like, "It's nice, but it has too much of a Chinese touch." That really broke my confidence. It was one of the reasons I came back to Shanghai. I think it was a good move, though. Here I can do French cuisine with Chinese touches. I mean, I'm Chinese. This is my culture, my background. And I get a lot of support for that at Ortensia.

CNS: What do you think produces better results on the plate, good skills or good equipment?

Hana: Skill and experience are more important. After you've worked in a kitchen for a while, you learn to find a way, no matter the situation. All those fancy machines may make your job easier, but if you don't have them, you find a workaround and get the job done. This goes for ingredients, too. If you're good, you'll find a way to work with what you have and make something great with it.

CNS: Where do you like to eat when you aren't working?

Hana: The last time I went to Ling Long it was pretty good. I like Sage. Yu Wai Tan, it's a place for Fujian cuisine. It has a Michelin star. Fujian cuisine is just amazing. I like all those Fu restaurants too – Fu He Hui, Fu 1088, Fu 1015, Fu 1039. Tony Lu is so talented. That guy knows everything.

CNS: You seem to have very refined tastes. Is there anywhere you go for something simple and casual?

Hana: For dumplings, Wu You Xian is nice. It has a Michelin star, but it's pretty cheap. There's a place close to Taikoo Hui that I like too, it's call Nong Tang Xiao Hun Tun. And hotpot, of course.

CNS: What kind of hotpot?

Hana: Any kind of hotpot. I don't think there is a Chinese person who doesn't like hotpot.

CNS: What's your favorite part about being a chef?

Hana: I just like that I can be myself. It took a long, long, long time for me to realize that my passion is in the kitchen.

CNS: What's the most important thing you've learned as a chef?

Hana: How to teach younger aspiring cooks. I want to show them that kitchen work is not that bad, that it's not the menial work that people like my father think it is. It's creative. And it's so rewarding to experiment with ingredients and create something so elegant.

If you go...

To make a reservation, add their WeChat: Ortensia_SH

W14, Zhangyuan, 240 Maoming Rd N. 茂名北路240号张园W14

(You'll need to go down one of the smaller alleyways off Maoming Road). Look for this sign outside: