Yesterday (13 September 2024), Chef Won was presented with the medal of Chevalier de l’Ordre du Mérite Agricole (Order of Agricultural Merite) by the Ambassador of France in Malaysia, H.E. Axel Cruau. The award is presented for his outstanding contribution to the promotion of French gastronomy in Malaysia thanks to his attachment to France and the showcasing of its techniques and art de vivre in all his restaurants.
The Ministerial Ordre du Mérite Agricole is one of the oldest and most prestigious orders of the French Republic. It was instituted on July 7, 1883 by Agriculture Minister Jules Méline to reward individuals who have rendered outstanding services to French agriculture and all related industries and functions, and in particular to gastronomy and the culinary arts.
This order traditionally rewards excellence in the culinary arts, and has been awarded to the most prestigious chefs, including Pierre Gagnaire, Yannick Alleno, Daniel Boulud, Eric Fréchon, Guy Savoy, Joël Robuchon and César Troisgros. Foreigners are sparsely represented among the recipients, and Chef Won was the only Malaysian awarded this recognition in 2024.
Chef Won was described as curious about everything, a hard worker with uncommonly high standards for himself and always striving for excellence. He has trained with the greatest chefs for several years: such as Pierre Gagnaire and Alain Ducasse. He also broaden his horizons even further as he has completed his training in Japan, working in three-star restaurants.
Now based in Malaysia, he has opened a number of excellent establishments with a cuisine that combines conviviality and modernity, comfort and inventiveness, both rooted in the terroirs of France and celebrating Malaysia and Asia more generally, notably “Shin Labo”, in which he took up the challenge of bringing France, Japan and Malaysia together in a symphony of flavors.
For him, cuisine is a means of expressing his ideas and his vision of the world, and of sharing his passion and experience with everyone. Advocating authenticity above all else, James Won is as faithful to Malaysian, French, Japanese and Chinese heritages and traditions as he is creative, happily revisiting all the classics. Respectful of the product, he strives to work as closely as possible with local producers in short, organic circuits, such as those in Cameron Highlands, while sourcing from the best international sources and fighting against waste.
A lover of champagne and of the region of Champagne in France, awarded the Chevalier de l’Ordre des Coteaux de Champagne distinction, he is the only Malaysian chef to have been an ambassador for the House of Krug since 2014.