“I’ve been involved in many restaurant launches during my career, but none excite me like Bliss Restaurant & Bar,” says Executive Chef William Huang at the opening of the new spacious eating-place at Hilton Toronto Airport. “The menu has been tailored to appeal to a variety of palates, from guests looking for distinctive flavors to those looking for healthy lifestyle options. The restaurant has something for everyone.”
From an early age Chef Huang, born in India of Chinese ancestry, was interested in cooking. Unknowingly he began his culinary career helping his grandmother in the family kitchen, always creating food that delighted his family and friends. After completing a degree in Hotel Management in Calcutta, India, Huang moved to Canada. He has worked in several world-class restaurants in Toronto including Senses Restaurant and Tundra Restaurant at the Hilton Toronto Hotel.
In 2005, he earned his diploma as a Certified Chef de Cuisine (C.C.C.), the highest level obtainable for chefs in Canada. One year later, Huang became the Executive Chef at the Hilton Toronto Airport. Today, he oversees all culinary affairs at the hotel such as banquets, room service and Bliss Restaurant & Bar. His 25-member team excel in giving guests an exceptional dining experience, from an intimate corporate meeting to an extravagant gala event.
Signature dishes offer guests a tantalizing assortment of culinary creations including ‘Singapore Noodles’ with a curry sauce, ‘Black Striped Bass’ with oven dried tomatoes served in a citrus brown butter sauce, ‘Oven-baked Crab Cakes’ and ‘Grilled Lemon Pepper Crusted Salmon’ served with crisp garden greens tossed in a lemon soy vinaigrette.
BLISS Restaurant & Bar
“What excites me the most about Bliss’ launch is the creativity, challenges and adrenalin rush taking place in the kitchen,” says Huang. “My philosophy for the restaurant is simple elegance. The new menu incorporates the best of East and West cuisine allowing the natural flavors to speak for themselves.”
Huang usually begins his preparation for a large dinner by meeting with the client to establish what they envision for their event, the budget parameters and dietary requests and restrictions. After the meeting, he begins to create the customized menu. Past clients include a high-end dinner for 425 guests for Hewlett-Packard, corporate events for the Ontario Pipe Trades Council and a four-course dinner for the Ontario Ministry of Education.
During his culinary journey Huang has won numerous awards and industry recognition which include: A gold medal for the Toronto Salon 3-course lunch, Best in Category and People’s Choice award in 2005; and a gold medal for the Toronto Salon Show Platter, Best in Category, Best Poultry and People’s Choice award in 2004.
When asked what he likes the most about working at Hilton Toronto Airport, Chef Huang said: “I love working alongside my staff and creating delicious meals for our guests to enjoy; Bliss feels like a second home.”
