“Who do I want to be in five years?” This is what Felix Cheung, AKA “Fat CheFelix” asked himself before he quit his successful career as a tech engineer to pursue his passion. With no professional experience, he moved to Melbourne where he started cooking and eventually gained a huge following both on and off-line. Felix continues his rise with sold-out pop-up dinners where he experiments with bold flavor combinations and locally sourced ingredients. There is no doubt that his next endeavor, a solo restaurant project in Melbourne, will be a hit. The restaurant is slated to open later this year and feature all the best of Felix’s former menus. I sat down with Felix to ask him about his inspiration for cooking, his thoughts on local ingredients, and his advice for upcoming chefs. Our conversation ended up covering a lot more, including his decision-making process for taking risks and his outlook on life.