Introducing Jackey Lee, Restaurateur of Oh Snack T.O. Hong Kong Street Style Café
|
Meet Jackey Lee who recently opened a take-out restaurant in downtown Toronto called “Oh Snack!”. Running the kitchen and cooking alongside a kitchen manager is a tough job but they do it six days out of the week. Along with that, his wife and him also manage front of house and day-to-day administrative duties like staff scheduling, payroll and so forth. Why? because they love it!
We sat down with Jackey to find out more about him and his new venture. |
How did you came about this idea?
I have always had an interest in cooking since I was young but my mom convinced me that life would be easier if I went to university instead of culinary school. While I was studying cognitive psychology in university and working as a TA, I realized I didn’t want to pursue a career in academia.
After I graduated, I got my first job working as a financial advisor at a bank, thinking it might be a good opportunity to develop my social skills. It wasn’t long before I realized the job was just about chasing sales quotas every month and I knew it wasn’t what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. From there, I came across another opportunity to work for a tech company as a Business Analyst so I gave that a shot but in the back of mind, I was still curious about what a career in cooking would be like.
One day, I sat down with my wife and we discussed the possibility of me switching careers entirely to purse culinary and whether we could still make ends meet financially. Luckily, she landed a job with a new company that paid significantly better so with her support, I spent a few years working under various chefs and the rest was history.
After I graduated, I got my first job working as a financial advisor at a bank, thinking it might be a good opportunity to develop my social skills. It wasn’t long before I realized the job was just about chasing sales quotas every month and I knew it wasn’t what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. From there, I came across another opportunity to work for a tech company as a Business Analyst so I gave that a shot but in the back of mind, I was still curious about what a career in cooking would be like.
One day, I sat down with my wife and we discussed the possibility of me switching careers entirely to purse culinary and whether we could still make ends meet financially. Luckily, she landed a job with a new company that paid significantly better so with her support, I spent a few years working under various chefs and the rest was history.
What about your work brings you true joy?
My favourite part of the job is eating the food that I cook and being able to experiment with different ingredients to recreate some of my childhood favorites. Having people enjoy the food that I cook also brings me a lot of joy – there’s nothing happier than seeing an empty plate!
What has been your most valuable learnings?
From a cooking perspective, it would be learning how to use a wok - a type of cooking pan commonly used in Southern Chinese cuisine. To me, the wok not only represents Chinese cooking, it’s an iconic symbol that represents the Hong Kong culture so my goal is to master the technique to preserve the culture of my family roots.
In opening my first restaurant, and during COVID, I also learned to stay positive and find ways to persist through hard times. Personally, I like to go for jogs and do yoga with my wife to de-stress.
In opening my first restaurant, and during COVID, I also learned to stay positive and find ways to persist through hard times. Personally, I like to go for jogs and do yoga with my wife to de-stress.
Images from Oh Snack TO
If you could learn to do anything, what would that be?
Learn how to play a guitar – I even went out and bought one but for some strange reason I just can’t find the time to!
If you could be any fictional character, who would it be and why?
Philip J. Fry from Futurama mainly for his happy-go-lucky personality. Plus, I would love to have a robot best friend and see what 1,000 years from now would be like!
Can you describe an experience/incident that happened that made you a stronger person?
Telling my mom that I’ve made the leap from a desk job to working in a kitchen. My mother raised me alone and having immigrated to Canada in her 20s, she had to work 2 jobs in order to make ends meet.
Growing up, she wanted more than anything for me to have a stable office job that paid well so I was afraid to disappoint her. Her initial reaction was just as I had expected when I broke the news so I reassured her that I’ve tried working different types of jobs but at the end of the day, my heart and passions belongs in cooking.
From that day on, I could see that my mom developed a certain level of respect for my determination and a sense of understanding. I feel by having the courage to bring this back up with her, it really helped me grow to be proud of the person I’ve become.
If you could give your past self any advice, what would it be?
Don’t wait to pursue your dreams despite what others may tell you. As you grow older, life just gets busier with more responsibilities and considerations so don’t waste time worrying too much about what others think. You just have to go out there and be open to trying new things in order to find what truly makes you happy.
Banner Photo on landing page by Michał Parzuchowski on Unsplash