What Makes the Perfect Bite, According to Chef Buddha Lo

For Chef Buddha Lo, a memorable meal begins with one nonnegotiable: It has to taste good. From there, things get more interesting. The Michelin-starred chef and only back-to-back winner of Top Chef thinks about everything from the sound of something crisp to the exact combination of flavors and textures that land on your fork. ⁠ ⁠This fall, Chef Lo brings that perspective to Canyon Ranch Lenox for our James Beard Culinary Weekend, Nov. 20–22. The interactive weekend benefiting the James Beard Foundation brings Lo together with Canyon Ranch chefs Scott and April Franqueza for signature dinners, tastings, fireside conversations, and hands-on culinary experiences — including Lo’s Designing the Perfect Bite and The Five Sense Dinner. ⁠ ⁠Ahead of the weekend, we caught up with Lo to talk about what makes food memorable, why sound deserves more attention at the dinner table, and his idea of the ultimate comfort meal. ⁠

What originally drew you to a career as a chef? 

Buddha Lo: I grew up in my parents’ Chinese restaurant in Port Douglas, Australia, so restaurants were always part of my life. I started cooking at 12 and pretty quickly realized this was what I wanted to do. I loved the energy of the kitchen, the satisfaction, and the fact that there was always something else to learn. Once I started working in Michelin kitchens, I became obsessed with seeing how far I could take it. 

⁠⁠You’ve cooked in some incredible kitchens and competed on Top Chef. Looking back, what’s one of your favorite moments from your career so far? 

BL: Winning Top Chef twice was obviously life-changing, but earning a Michelin star at Huso is probably the moment I’m most proud of. We started Huso with a tiny kitchen behind a caviar shop and very limited equipment. We had an induction burner, a tabletop oven, and a huge amount of ambition. To earn a Michelin star nine months after opening showed me what was possible when you have the right people around you and everyone believes in what you’re trying to build.

What makes a dish truly memorable to you? Is it about the food itself, or something more? 

BL: First, it has to taste great. You can have an amazing story and beautiful presentation, but if it doesn’t taste good, none of that matters. After that, it’s about creating a memory. It could remind you of somewhere you’ve been, something you ate as a kid, or introduce you to a flavor you’ve never experienced before. The best dishes stay with you long after you’ve forgotten exactly how they were plated. 

You’re leading a session at Canyon Ranch called Designing the Perfect Bite. So, what actually makes a perfect bite?

BL: Balance. You want acidity, fat, salt, texture, and temperature all working together. But I also think about how someone physically eats the dish. If I want you to experience three things together, I need to design the dish so you actually get those three things in the same bite. A perfect bite shouldn’t happen by accident. 

For your Five Sense Dinner, you’re asking guests to experience food beyond just taste. Which of our other senses do you think we tend to overlook when we eat? 

BL: Sound. We think about aroma and presentation all the time, but sound can completely change how you experience food. The crack of something crisp or the sound of a sauce being poured tableside creates anticipation before you’ve even tasted it. Dining is much more sensory than we sometimes realize.  

You’ll be cooking with Scott and April Franqueza throughout the weekend. What do you enjoy most about getting in the kitchen with other chefs?

BL: I like seeing how other chefs think. Every chef has a different way of approaching ingredients and solving problems. You can spend your whole career cooking and still walk into someone else’s kitchen and learn something in five minutes. Collaborations are at their best when nobody is trying to prove anything, and everyone just wants to make the food better.  

What’s the best bite you’ve had recently?

BL: I’m actually back in Australia at the moment, so I just went to this restaurant in Sydney called Gigi's. He recently won Best Pizza Maker in the World, and the pizza was insane. The best dough I’ve ever had. 

What’s always in your refrigerator at home? 

BL: Virgin Eggs, butter, Meredith goat cheese, some kind of hot sauce, and usually leftovers from whatever I’ve cooked for my family. And with two young kids, there’s always more milk and fruit in there than anything else. 

Caviar: classic preparation or unexpected pairing? 

BL: Unexpected pairing. I love the classics, and there’s a reason they work, but I’ve spent years cooking with caviar, and I think it’s much more versatile than people realize. It doesn’t always have to be blini and crème fraîche. At Huso, I like using it almost as a seasoning. Its salinity and texture can completely change a dish.  

When you’re not cooking for other people, what does your perfect meal look like? 

BL: My perfect meal would probably be some kind of rice dish with eggs and a protein, something Cantonese-style, with Balinese sambal on the side. It’s the kind of food I make for myself when I’m not trying to impress anyone. There’s something about that combination of really simple ingredients, cooked well, that’s incredibly comforting. It’s the kind of food that just warms the soul.

Taste It for Yourself 

Join Chef Lo at Canyon Ranch Lenox, Nov. 20–22, for a special culinary weekend benefiting the James Beard Foundation. Go behind the scenes of unforgettable meals with chef-led dinners, caviar and Champagne, interactive culinary experiences, and conversations with Chef Lo, Chefs Scott and April Franqueza, and James Beard Foundation CEO Clare Reichenbach. 

EXPLORE THE WEEKEND