Angliss alum Buddha Lo reaches new heights

William Angliss Institute has had many talented alumni go on to do great things after their study, and one such example is Kah-Wai Lo, or otherwise known as ‘Buddha’.

Buddha grew up in Port Douglas, Queensland, where he spent his formative years ensconced in the success of his family’s Chinese restaurant. This ignited his interest in the food industry and as a 14 year old, he began working for a five star hotel, all the while studying at high school.

At the age of 17, Buddha decided to move from his home town to pursue opportunities in Melbourne around 2011, which had become an international culinary powerhouse attracting a slew of celebrity chefs and noteworthy media personalities. After arriving in Melbourne, Buddha enrolled to study at the William Angliss Institute and found work at Matteo’s restaurant, which further developed his skills and passion for the industry.

His talent and hard work saw him win a scholarship to the two Michelin-starred restaurant Café Lavinal at the Château Cordeillan-Bages in Pauillac in France. The short stage at this revered establishment strengthened Buddha’s French cooking techniques and, with this international exposure, he became recognised and sought after by culinary professionals back in Australia.

Back in Melbourne, Buddha was hired by the illustrious Raymond Capaldi, who is regarded as one of Australia’s best chefs. In 2015, Buddha was offered the position of Head Chef at Capaldi’s restaurant Hare & Grace.

After a fruitful two year stage with Raymond Capaldi, Lo’s interest in pursuing international opportunities took him to London, where he landed a role working at Restaurant Gordon Ramsay.

As Lo’s experience in the world of fine dining grew, so did the awards that he received. Some examples being the Gordon Ramsay Excellence Award, the La Liste Award, an international honour acknowledging excellence in cooking, authenticity, sustainability and innovation in gastronomy, and the Good Food Guide Young Chef of the Year 2014 award.Buddha’s success soared to stratospheric heights and he went on to work in some of the finest restaurants across Europe and America, most noteworthy being Eleven Madison Park, New York.