Philip Lo & Jasmine at Bellagio Hotel

A native of Hong Kong, Philip Lo started his culinary career upon finishing school, first starting out as an apprentice and working his way up the kitchen ladder. Passionate about his cooking, he put his soul and character into his food, constantly generating creative dishes and new ideas.  His role as a trendsetter in both Hong Kong and San Francisco still has an impact on the standards of Cantonese cuisine.

In 1978, he gained fame in Hong Kong as one of the originators of nouvelle Hong Kong cuisine when he opened the Gay Villa restaurant. He is also recognized as a pioneer of authentic contemporary Cantonese by opening a second restaurant, the Royal Garden Flower Lounge in 1981, featuring the Wu Xu ribs, a method of braising the belly ribs in his secret formula and serving them in Cantonese clay pots.  The wave of Wu Xu swept through Asia and made it to San Francisco when Chef Lo moved there to open the prestigious Hong Kong Flower Lounge in Millbrae, California.

When Steve Wynn opened the Bellagio Resort in Las Vegas in 1998, he and Elizabeth Blau made Chef Philip Lo an offer he couldn’t refuse, as executive chef for the new Jasmine Restaurant overlooking the fountains of Bellagio.  Later that year, the team of Great Chefs television showed up to tape Chef Lo inside Jasmine for their Great Chefs of America series for the Discovery Channel. Chef Philip Lo retired in 2011, but still stops by to make sure the restaurant is keeping up to his standards.