i. Biography
The Climb
Apprenticeship at Lei Garden Group gave Martin Foo Heng Yih the usual first lessons: repetition, timing, and the discipline of kitchen work before title or authority. From apprentice to chef at the same group, the progression reads as a steady internal build, with technique hardening into instinct under pressure. The work then carried into Tung Lok Group of restaurants, where another kitchen added its own standards of pace, precision, and service control. At VLV, the role expanded into a chef / spearheading role, which places both line execution and operational drive under the same set of hands. That kind of post asks for more than cooking alone: it requires keeping service moving, reading the room, and holding the team to the pace of the night without losing control at the pass. Today, Martin serves as group executive chef of Crystal Jade Culinary Concepts Holding and resident chef of Crystal Jade Palace. The span of those titles shows a career built from kitchen-floor repetition into broader responsibility, with each step extending the same craft base into higher-stakes oversight. The line from apprentice to executive chef is not a leap so much as an accumulation of trust, skill, and consistency over time.
Today
In the current role, the work sits between group-level standards and the daily realities of Crystal Jade Palace. That means keeping the wider brief of Crystal Jade Culinary Concepts Holding aligned with the practical demands of service, where leadership is measured through timing, judgment, and steadiness on the line. The earlier apprenticeship at Lei Garden Group is still visible in that posture: technical discipline first, then authority built on repeated delivery.
In Their Words “The fire makes the entire kitchen come to life.” The line points to the basic conditions of service: heat, movement, urgency, and the shift from preparation to production. It frames the kitchen as a working system that only fully resolves when the stoves are on and the room is in motion. That age marks the formal start of the trade, when the work begins with instruction rather than autonomy. It is a concise marker of entry into a profession where progress is built through time, repetition, and responsibility.
Career - group executive chef — Crystal Jade Culinary Concepts Holding - resident chef — Crystal Jade Palace - apprentice — Lei Garden Group - chef — Lei Garden Group - chef — Tung Lok Group of restaurants - chef / spearheading role — VLV
FAQ What is Martin Foo Heng Yih's current role? Martin Foo Heng Yih is Group Executive Chef. Where did Martin Foo Heng Yih work before? Earlier in their career, Martin Foo Heng Yih worked at Lei Garden Group and Tung Lok Group of restaurants.
