A meal at ATAS Modern Malaysian Eatery will make you renounce that old cliché, "Never trust a skinny chef." Marathons help keep Tyson Gee on his toes as he tinkers with local ingredients such as foraged fiddlehead ferns, kaffir limes, and highland peppers.

A Coastie (nickname for someone from Vancouver) with an affinity for Asia, the half-German and half-Chinese chef has come halfway around the world to cook in distinguished institutions such as the Park Hyatt Melbourne and The RuMa Hotel & Residences.

Stay tuned for our review of the latter's latest menu change.

Soft-spoken and observant, Karlyn Teo prefers to let her cooking speak for herself. The only female chef in the kitchen sporadically, Karlyn Teo has risen the ranks at Sitka Studio and Sitka Eatinghouse & Wine Bar to show who wears the pants.

Shaped by co-founder Christian Recomio's tough love, Teo makes dumplings to die for and coaxes sourdough loaves into rising. DC Restaurant and Nathalie Gourmet Studio are where she worked prior to joining the fraternity at Plaza Batai.