We were lucky to catch up with Xinge Liu recently and have shared our conversation below.

Xinge, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today When did you first know you wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally?

I am a dreamer, and I’ve been passionate about creativity and art since childhood.

After graduating from Polimoda, the Italian fashion school, I worked in the fashion industry for a while—a period that allowed me to deeply appreciate the power of creativity and aesthetics. However, my inner voice always told me that I wanted to do more and not be confined solely to the world of fashion.

Later, I joined Le Cordon Bleu, where I not only learned culinary techniques but also discovered the endless possibilities of blending food with art. It was then that I decided to open a restaurant, with the hope of changing people’s traditional perceptions of Chinese cuisine through food.

From an 20-square-meter restaurant, I have now built a Michelin establishment. Throughout this journey, I have remained committed to fusing Chinese, Western, and French culinary styles with my fashion-inspired vision to create unique dishes and dining experiences. Every step has been filled with challenges and passion, further solidifying my determination to pursue a path of creative artistry.

In that moment, I truly realized that I was not just cooking food, but creating an entirely new lifestyle, one that is full of personality and artistic expression.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I am Xinge Liu, a Chinese chef and entrepreneur born in 1993, and the visionary founder and driving force behind the Florence-based culinary brand Il Gusto Dimsum. Throughout my career, I have received numerous accolades, including the “Tradizione Futura” award from Gambero Rosso and Moët & Chandon, the “Cucina del Futuro” award from Identità Golose, and the “Contaminazione” award from TheFork. Additionally, I was recognized as one of Fortune magazine’s “40 Under 40 in the Food Industry,” my work has been acknowledged by the Michelin Guide, and I have appeared on television programs such as MasterChef and Striscia la Notizia.

I was born in a working-class family in Hebei Province, China, where my father worked as a policeman and my mother as a chemical engineer. From a young age, I was passionate about art and fashion. In 2008, I spent a year in Australia studying art, and in 2012 I moved to Florence, Italy, to study fashion design at Polimoda. I graduated in 2015 and, seeking to broaden my skills, I later enrolled at Le Cordon Bleu to study culinary arts. In 2019, I founded Il Gusto Dimsum, starting from a modest 20-square-meter restaurant, and have since expanded into a diversified enterprise that now includes two restaurants and a cocktail brand named Drinx.

“Love, courage, and perseverance” are the core principles that guide my life. As an Asian woman, I nurtured my passion for fashion from an early age and boldly pursued my dreams by moving to Italy at 18. In 2021, driven by a firm belief in transforming traditional perceptions of Chinese cuisine, I began building my chic culinary brand Il Gusto di Xinge. My remarkable journey has been widely featured in renowned publications such as Forbes, Vogue, Rolling Stone, Io Donna, Fortune, and Elle Decor.

I am not only passionate about cooking but also continuously draw inspiration from fashion, music, cinema, poetry, and literature. I firmly believe in the limitless potential of women in the culinary world and have dedicated myself to empowering more women in this field.

I am convinced that with hard work, dreams can become reality. I liken myself to a ship navigating through turbulent waters—subject to the forces of wind and waves, yet always capable of charting my own course. I am deeply grateful to those who have supported and believed in me, as well as to those who doubted me, for both have helped shape me into the resilient, courageous, and patient person I am today.

In just four short years, I have evolved from running a humble six-seat takeaway to building an award-winning culinary brand. My vision is to transform Il Gusto di Xinge into an international brand by launching youthful, stylish Asian-inspired restaurants that challenge traditional norms and redefine culinary boundaries.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

For me, nothing is as fulfilling as meeting challenges head-on and turning them into success.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

In my first business venture, I faced failure, but I refused to give up. Instead, I started over and built my own culinary brand from the ground up. Through perseverance and determination, I grew it into what is now a Michelin-recognized restaurant.

I believe that making it happen is the key—turning setbacks into opportunities and never losing sight of the vision.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://ilgustodixinge.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ilgustodixinge?igsh=NXJ0aHo5NDNmdnBl&utm_source=qr
• Linkedin: https://it.linkedin.com/in/xinge-liu-118aa1119?original_referer=