A researched professional record. Inclusion does not confirm representation, availability or interest in a new project.
At a glance
Reina Chen (陈婕) is Head Chef of Fumée in Shenzhen. Born and raised in Shanghai, she studied Kunqu opera for five years at the Shanghai Theatre Academy and Beijing Opera and Arts College under Zhang Xunpeng, then performed with the Shanghai Kunqu Opera Troupe. She moved into professional kitchens at 30, trained at the Basque Culinary Center and spent a year at Paul Pairet’s Ultraviolet in Shanghai. In 2024 she became Head Chef at Fumée, where she cooks a modernist Chinese menu with seafood, local fruits, spices and herbs. The Best Chef Awards 2025 lists her at Two Knives; she is also an Australian Beef Ambassador and LOEWE Chinese Cultural Advisor.[1] [2] [3]
Cooking & identity
Her cooking is a contemporary Chinese-French synthesis: seafood for umami, local fruit and spice for freshness, European technique for structure, and a menu arc borrowed from opera. The best evidence is not the biography but whether the 11 courses hold together without the story doing the work.[1] [3]
Why this profile is included
Named head chef in the 2026 Asia profile and current restaurant coverage; the record documents her Kunqu opera training, move to the kitchen at 30, Basque Culinary Center and Ultraviolet experience, and 2024 appointment at Fumée.[1] [2] [3]
Independent observations
ChefsLanding · · Editorial commentary on the public record
A former opera singer who starts cooking at 30 is not a marketing angle; it is a real change of profession, with a decade of kitchen work behind it. The interesting part is whether the stage training gives the menu an actual dramaturgy, or just a vocabulary for reviewers.
The 11-course seafood menu is where the answer lives. If the local fruit, spice and herb work makes the seafood taste clearer, the concept is doing its job. If the story is stronger than the broth, the opera is still on stage and the kitchen has not arrived.
Recent developments
Collaborations & guest appearances
0 collaboration projects · 0 within the two-year research window
Projects are deduplicated: multiple nights, venues or reports do not automatically become separate collaborations. Food-and-drink events and shared festival appearances are labelled by format.
- No named collaboration project has yet been verified for this profile. This does not establish that no collaboration has taken place.
Career & milestones
- Early life / opera
Born and raised in Shanghai; studied Kunqu opera for five years at the Shanghai Theatre Academy and Beijing Opera and Arts College under Zhang Xunpeng, then performed with the Shanghai Kunqu Opera Troupe.[1]
- Age 30 / 10+ years
Moved into professional kitchens at 30; the 2026 interview describes more than a decade in the industry.[2]
- Culinary training
Trained at the Basque Culinary Center and spent a year at Paul Pairet’s Ultraviolet in Shanghai.[1]
- 2024
Became Head Chef at Fumée in 2024.[1]
- 2025
The Best Chef Awards 2025 lists her at Two Knives; she is also an Australian Beef Ambassador and LOEWE Chinese Cultural Advisor.[1]
- 2026
The 2026 Asia list placed Fumée at No.65 as a new entry; the current MICHELIN selection lists one star.[3] [4]
Recognition over time
Restaurant ratings and individual honours are listed separately. Editorial profiles are labelled as coverage.
- 2025
The Best Chef Awards · Two Knives (current 2025 guide profile)[1]
Sources & dates
Public biographies, restaurant statements and named interviews checked on 5 November 2026. Exact employment dates and unreported engagements may remain unavailable.
- thebestchefawards.com · Reina Chen · The Best Chef profile ↗Checked 2026-11-05
- iWeekly周末画报 · 每一个她，都有一扇通往自己的门 ↗Published 2026-03-03 · Checked 2026-11-05
- 50 Best · Asia’s 50 Best 2026 · published 51–100 list ↗Published 2026-03-12 · Checked 2026-11-05
- MICHELIN · Fumée · MICHELIN Guide selection ↗Checked 2026-11-05