Esca Khoo is a rising star, although he doesn’t really know what to do with such accolades and the press coverage he has been receiving since he stepped into the head chef role at Miss Mi in the Mövenpick Hotel. Esca is humble and self-aware and never imagined that he would be where he is now. He just really loves cooking and wants to share through his food happiness as well as memories and the things he has learned along the way about his homeland, Borneo. He also wants to be a role model and inspiration for other immigrants doing it tough and wondering when they will really get to call Australia home. Esca arrived in Perth at the age of 15 with dreams of becoming a soccer star. Due to various visa demands and life that happened along the way, he started working in kitchens and discovered a passion for cooking. When I contacted Esca though his Instagram account @foodtureproof to see whether he wanted to be part of Conversation with a Chef, he responded so warmly and openly and in our various exchanges, I felt as though I had made a friend. I couldn’t wait to talk to him and to be honest, I could have talked to him all day. Esca (whose actual name is Kah but he goes by the nickname Esca, meaning bait or lure, given to him in an Italian restaurant where he was ‘lured’ back time after time to work in return, not for wages, but for pizza and pasta) pretty much just started talking as soon as we sat down and I loved that. We talked about his own journey to where he is now, toxicity in the kitchen, the future of food and his desire for change in the industry. Esca was honest and articulate and very generous with what he shared and I feel richer for having spoken to him.