Loved Ones Remember Phat Eatery’s Chef Alex Au-Yeung

Grace Young, Blood Bros. Terry Wong, and others shared their thoughts on the chef’s legacy

When Thomas Nguyen first met Alex Au-Yeung, he had no idea he’d be meeting a future colleague and friend.

“We blurred that line between business and friendship,” Nguyen says. “And I couldn’t be more grateful that we did.”

Nguyen joined countless colleagues, friends, and Houstonians at services earlier this week at the Sugar Land Mortuary to say goodbye to restaurateur and chef Alex Au-Yueng. The owner of the incredibly popular Malaysian restaurant Phat Eatery, passed away on Thursday, March 21 after a brief battle with cancer.

“The legacy that he set for Malaysian and Asian cuisine in Houston is something I know people will continue to learn from,” says Nguyen. “He took a foreign [unfamiliar] concept and made it one of Houston’s most incredible places to eat. I couldn’t be more proud of him.”

Quy Tran

Prior to creating almost instantaneous demand for his approach to hawker-style Malaysian cuisine at his Katy Asian Town restaurants, the 2022 James Beard semifinalist for Texas’s Best Chef was an emerging restaurateur eager to share the range of Asian cuisine with others. After studying aviation technology at the University of Houston, the chef’s wide-ranging interests — spanning from repairing and racing cars to technology — took him along a number of journeys. In 2001, he opened Galleria’s Wok & Roll, his first major venture as a young chef. Throughout his life, he explored a range of professional ventures: He owned a technology solutions company that supported restaurants in Texas and Mexico, spent time in Hong Kong studying Cantonese cooking, and in 2008, opened Banana Leaf, a popular restaurant that was well-known in Houston’s Chinatown.

“He was so supportive of other Asian restaurateurs,” recalls Blood Bros. Terry Wong. Wong, who met Au-Yueng while running his own Chinatown bar and operations during the early aughts, was immediately taken by the chef’s reverence for Asian cuisines, and investment in supporting others. Wong and mentor Pierre Yu said that while Au-Yeung loved the Chinatown community, he wanted to ensure the entire city had access to Malaysian cuisine.

Jenn Duncan

“He was so gifted and so driven, and he was ultimately able to share his love for Malaysian cuisine with the entire Houston community, which was not an easy task,” says Yu.

Phat Eatery’s roti canai, one of Au-Yeung’s calling cards at Phat Eatery, illustrates the late chef’s reverence for his homeland’s cuisine. Nguyen recalls Au-Yeung patiently teaching guests how to dip the bread into the rich, savory curry; he did not chide visitors for asking questions about a dish’s origins or how to eat it.

“He wanted you to be able to put your guard down,” said Nguyen. “He relaxed guests, and let them know that they were in for a culinary treat.”

Isabel Protomartir

The warm, comforting bowls of nasi lemak, chicken and roti, and Malaysian fried rice drew visitors to Phat Eatery, which became so popular that the restaurant had to double its seating capacity. But it was Au-Yueng’s reputation for kindness and generosity that truly set the restaurateur apart. When Terry Wong revealed his own cancer battle, Au-Yueng was one of the first people to reach out to the chef for support. Revered cookbook author Grace Young and founder of the Support Chinatown Initiative in Manhattan recalls the chef helping her during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic. Even while sheltering in place in Houston, Au-Yueng managed to procure a box of masks for Young as New York ran out of supplies.

“He saved me,” said Young. “I will never forget the feeling of disbelief I had looking at a whole case of masks when I couldn’t find one mask, and wondering who was this angel who came to the rescue of a complete stranger.”

Courtesy of Marvin He

During COVID, the chef provided thousands of meals for furloughed hospitality workers, purchased frozen dumplings from a struggling restaurant to help them survive, and supported a local hot sauce company by gifting their sauce to his customers. Young added that the love for Alex Au-Yeung extended across his skill and aptitude, but it was his care for others that made him stand out in a crowded industry.

“Alex was masterful at providing a great dining experience at Phat Eatery but also understood the importance of finding ways to help the restaurant community,” said Young. “He showed us by example that we are stronger when we stand together.”

In recent months, Au-Yeung continued to pour his efforts into the Katy restaurant while navigating his battle with cancer. He also worked closely with teammates Kevin Lee and Marvin He, who helped organize Au-Yeung funeral services, to expand the locally loved and nationally recognized Malaysian restaurant to The Woodlands, where a second outpost is set to open this spring.

“With the way they’ve been running the restaurant and helping to open the Woodlands location, you would think they were his sons,” Nguyen said. “You only do that when you have love for the person you’re working with, and I think that illustrates the culture he created with his staff.”

Courtesy of Phat Eatery

Au-Yeung was born in Malaysia and raised in Hong Kong, and arrived in Houston at the age of 19. After several entrepreneurial endeavors that touched the chef’s wide-ranging interests and hobbies, he pursued his culinary goals, studying under Cantonese chefs in Hong Kong. Upon his return, Au-Yeung became a leader in Houston’s expansive Asian dining community. In 2018, the chef opened Phat Eatery in Katy Asian Town, which had to double its seat count in 2019 to accommodate its popularity. In 2021, the Asian American Chamber of Commerce awarded the chef with their “Rising 10” award, which recognizes the 10 fastest-growing Asian businesses in Houston. In addition to the chef’s 2022 James Beard nomination, that same year, Au-Yeung was granted the Texas Restaurant Association’s “Faces of Diversity Award,” which celebrates diversity in the restaurant industry.

While accepting a People’s Choice Award Texas Restaurant Association’s 2023 Taste of Texas celebration, the chef expressed his approach to life and leadership. “It’s hard in this industry,” the chef said. “I’ve had my struggles. You’ve got to take care of your guests, you’ve got to take care of the numbers and, most importantly, you’ve got to take care of your people.” Au-Yeung returned the money he’d been awarded to the foundation, ultimately donating the prize money to their efforts to support chefs and restaurateurs in the state.

Au-Yeung decided to keep his diagnosis private, preferring to focus on assisting his colleagues and bringing lifelong restaurant goals to life. While his condition initially improved, his health recently took a sharp turn. Friends and colleagues are continuing to work to ensure that the Woodlands location opens and reflects the chef’s desires for Phat Eatery’s second location. Au-Yeung is survived by his wife, Queenie, and two children.