Ng Kum: From computer geek to world-class chef
culinary or ethnic environment,” Kum said. “I am focusing on the skills one acquires through my concepts. Hence, it does not make much
difference whether you are cooking Chinese, Indian, Korean, Japanese, Mexican, Italian, or French cuisine. After going through about 10
frames on your own, your ‘frame’ creations will become your obsessions!”
Kum also compared his framework cooking concept with the world’s best cooking model developed by Master Chef Ferran Adria, who is
undoubtedly the best master chef in the world today. “Frameworkcooking embodies all the elements of good cooking practices and principles,
and it is organized in three structured models for cuisine innovation and creation,” Kum declared. “Wheareas, the model outlined by Master
Chef Ferran is unstructured in four areas of concentration: preparations, styles, products, and technology.”
In simple terms, “Frameworkcooking” is a magical outline for a chef to work within which there is no limit on creativity. Kum also considers
cultural tastes as he creates various permutations and combinations while preparing a dish.
Cuisine profile
Kum’s Frameworkcooking concept has evolved into a three-dimensional mode, by incorporating his idea of a cuisine profile, which
consists of the six elements mentioned above (taste, flavor, texture, beauty [aesthetics], nutritive value, and safety). “I was trained as a
sanitation instructor as well, so I learned that it is important to consider the temperature (when preparing dishes),” Kum said, adding that as
far as safety and health concerns, people must be aware of what is included in the food they eat.
He cited the use of MSG (monosodium glutamate) which creates the “umami” (meaty) taste. “MSG is an invention from Japan using
biochemistry,” Kum said. “If you boil your chicken, the broth becomes very tasty. Instead of doing this tedious process, the Japanese invented
something similar to that, but it’s synthetic, a chemical, and it’s not good for you. Because of the negative effects of MSG, the Japanese have
invented a new form of food additive that counteracts these negative MSG effects. This is still being tested in the market.” Kum further
described some other products that create this “umami” taste, such as tomatoes.
The idea of a cuisine profile, in many ways, was a result of Kum’s exposure to American cuisine, and it has affected Kum’s evolving
frameworkcooking concept in a wonderful way. “When I started to work in the American kitchen, I explored further as I was trained further and
gained some more skills,” he said, and “I incorporated all those into my frameworkcooking concept. Before I cook a dish, I want to know its
profile like a cuisine bio. This profile is at the back of my mind. So once a profile is created, I will put together the necessary components to
suit that profile under a category. I really use my three models to execute that. Perhaps this evolving concept may soon be more than three
dimensional.”
Frameworkcooking in International Cuisines
Different countries have different tastes, and these “cultural tastes” in food have withstood the test of time. Does frameworkcooking have
a place in these already-structured cuisines of the world? Kum said, “YES!” He explained that all countries cook chicken with mixed
vegetables; they only differ in how they’re cooked and what ingredients are more or less absent. “In India, you would most likely cook a curry-
like dish. In Italy, you would cook your dish with lots of tomatoes. If you go to China, you will cook with a lot of Chinese bochoy and local
vegetables. The important thing is, the concept is the same. Your mouth can taste about six kinds of taste – and they’re the same, whether or
not you’re Chinese.”
This is precisely why Kum is very focused on completing his next project, the iiChef, a global healthful culinarian program for the youth
and children which he intends to incorporate into his class curriculum. “The first i stands for intelligence and the second i stands for
international (the cuisines of the world),” he explained excitedly. “I will come up with a macro-frame for each international cuisine, or for each
country. And then you can break it down to smaller frames, not recipes. But you have to learn these three dimensional models first; acquire
the knowledge, put that into practice, and then you can tackle almost any cuisine in the world.” Kum explained that it is simply about learning
skills, like in sports. “Like Tiger Woods, if you have his ‘frameworkgolfing’ skills, you can play golf anywhere in the world.”
Kum added that he wants to develop a group of young people who will be called “iiChefs,” and will be correspondingly certified by the World
Master Chefs Society, that is supporting and endorsing this program.
Kum’s culinary journey continues in high gear. He has been working extremely hard to realize his new dream to become a world class
chef. His concept book “Frameworkcooking-Culinary Evolution and Innovation” is on the pipeline to be published early next year. Above all,
his ambitious iiChef global project is on the horizon, and America and the world is helping him make it happen.
“I want to be the best,” Kum said. “We only live once, so why not do the best we can to be the best at what we do?”
difference whether you are cooking Chinese, Indian, Korean, Japanese, Mexican, Italian, or French cuisine. After going through about 10
frames on your own, your ‘frame’ creations will become your obsessions!”
Kum also compared his framework cooking concept with the world’s best cooking model developed by Master Chef Ferran Adria, who is
undoubtedly the best master chef in the world today. “Frameworkcooking embodies all the elements of good cooking practices and principles,
and it is organized in three structured models for cuisine innovation and creation,” Kum declared. “Wheareas, the model outlined by Master
Chef Ferran is unstructured in four areas of concentration: preparations, styles, products, and technology.”
In simple terms, “Frameworkcooking” is a magical outline for a chef to work within which there is no limit on creativity. Kum also considers
cultural tastes as he creates various permutations and combinations while preparing a dish.
Cuisine profile
Kum’s Frameworkcooking concept has evolved into a three-dimensional mode, by incorporating his idea of a cuisine profile, which
consists of the six elements mentioned above (taste, flavor, texture, beauty [aesthetics], nutritive value, and safety). “I was trained as a
sanitation instructor as well, so I learned that it is important to consider the temperature (when preparing dishes),” Kum said, adding that as
far as safety and health concerns, people must be aware of what is included in the food they eat.
He cited the use of MSG (monosodium glutamate) which creates the “umami” (meaty) taste. “MSG is an invention from Japan using
biochemistry,” Kum said. “If you boil your chicken, the broth becomes very tasty. Instead of doing this tedious process, the Japanese invented
something similar to that, but it’s synthetic, a chemical, and it’s not good for you. Because of the negative effects of MSG, the Japanese have
invented a new form of food additive that counteracts these negative MSG effects. This is still being tested in the market.” Kum further
described some other products that create this “umami” taste, such as tomatoes.
The idea of a cuisine profile, in many ways, was a result of Kum’s exposure to American cuisine, and it has affected Kum’s evolving
frameworkcooking concept in a wonderful way. “When I started to work in the American kitchen, I explored further as I was trained further and
gained some more skills,” he said, and “I incorporated all those into my frameworkcooking concept. Before I cook a dish, I want to know its
profile like a cuisine bio. This profile is at the back of my mind. So once a profile is created, I will put together the necessary components to
suit that profile under a category. I really use my three models to execute that. Perhaps this evolving concept may soon be more than three
dimensional.”
Frameworkcooking in International Cuisines
Different countries have different tastes, and these “cultural tastes” in food have withstood the test of time. Does frameworkcooking have
a place in these already-structured cuisines of the world? Kum said, “YES!” He explained that all countries cook chicken with mixed
vegetables; they only differ in how they’re cooked and what ingredients are more or less absent. “In India, you would most likely cook a curry-
like dish. In Italy, you would cook your dish with lots of tomatoes. If you go to China, you will cook with a lot of Chinese bochoy and local
vegetables. The important thing is, the concept is the same. Your mouth can taste about six kinds of taste – and they’re the same, whether or
not you’re Chinese.”
This is precisely why Kum is very focused on completing his next project, the iiChef, a global healthful culinarian program for the youth
and children which he intends to incorporate into his class curriculum. “The first i stands for intelligence and the second i stands for
international (the cuisines of the world),” he explained excitedly. “I will come up with a macro-frame for each international cuisine, or for each
country. And then you can break it down to smaller frames, not recipes. But you have to learn these three dimensional models first; acquire
the knowledge, put that into practice, and then you can tackle almost any cuisine in the world.” Kum explained that it is simply about learning
skills, like in sports. “Like Tiger Woods, if you have his ‘frameworkgolfing’ skills, you can play golf anywhere in the world.”
Kum added that he wants to develop a group of young people who will be called “iiChefs,” and will be correspondingly certified by the World
Master Chefs Society, that is supporting and endorsing this program.
Kum’s culinary journey continues in high gear. He has been working extremely hard to realize his new dream to become a world class
chef. His concept book “Frameworkcooking-Culinary Evolution and Innovation” is on the pipeline to be published early next year. Above all,
his ambitious iiChef global project is on the horizon, and America and the world is helping him make it happen.
“I want to be the best,” Kum said. “We only live once, so why not do the best we can to be the best at what we do?”
Part 2 of 2
By Heidi M. Pascual
Last month’s first installment of this article talked about Ng Kum’s early experiences as a computer-
science student in the United States, who later became a CEO in Malaysia and apprenticed as a chef in
one of Madison’s community Chinese restaurants along South Park Street, China House. Ng Kum found
his new passion, not in technology, but in the kitchen. Within more than a decade of working in the U.S.
as a chef, Kum focused on researching cuisines and developing his own cooking concept,
“Frameworkcooking.” He became so engrossed in this personal journey that it has become his life’s
mission — to tell the world that anyone can cook the best dishes of any country, not using recipes, but
using his revolutionary concept of a multidimensional “Frameworkcooking” methodology.
Discovering “frames”
As a chef apprentice in China House, Kum viewed it as an entirely new learning experience and
treated it as his “classroom.” He created charts and tables of items he observed were put together in
creating dishes. Of course, he started with cuisines from various Chinese provinces. He then recorded
his observations.
“As I compared notes, I found out that there are lots of similarities in Chinese cuisines,” Kum
explained. “While marking tables, I started to draw food categories, and I asked myself ‘How come this
one is here, and it’s also there, and over there?’ So, one composition is everywhere. I did a big chart and
compared a hundred dishes just by doing one simple example and after I summarized it, I said, ‘This is
just one frame, and using one frame, I could cook a few hundred dishes! So why use a recipe when I can
By Heidi M. Pascual
Last month’s first installment of this article talked about Ng Kum’s early experiences as a computer-
science student in the United States, who later became a CEO in Malaysia and apprenticed as a chef in
one of Madison’s community Chinese restaurants along South Park Street, China House. Ng Kum found
his new passion, not in technology, but in the kitchen. Within more than a decade of working in the U.S.
as a chef, Kum focused on researching cuisines and developing his own cooking concept,
“Frameworkcooking.” He became so engrossed in this personal journey that it has become his life’s
mission — to tell the world that anyone can cook the best dishes of any country, not using recipes, but
using his revolutionary concept of a multidimensional “Frameworkcooking” methodology.
Discovering “frames”
As a chef apprentice in China House, Kum viewed it as an entirely new learning experience and
treated it as his “classroom.” He created charts and tables of items he observed were put together in
creating dishes. Of course, he started with cuisines from various Chinese provinces. He then recorded
his observations.
“As I compared notes, I found out that there are lots of similarities in Chinese cuisines,” Kum
explained. “While marking tables, I started to draw food categories, and I asked myself ‘How come this
one is here, and it’s also there, and over there?’ So, one composition is everywhere. I did a big chart and
compared a hundred dishes just by doing one simple example and after I summarized it, I said, ‘This is
just one frame, and using one frame, I could cook a few hundred dishes! So why use a recipe when I can
Ng Kum holds his medal of
recognition from World Chefs
Society
recognition from World Chefs
Society
use a frame?’” In 2002, he published a Chinese cooking concept book, “Appreciating Chinese
Cooking,” which was distributed to 50 libraries throughout Wisconsin.
Refining his illustrations and putting them into a big chart, Kum started “testing” his concept
by inviting Madisonians to come to China House to learn a bit about his new concept and taste
some dishes he prepared following this “frameworkcooking.” It was a success, in terms of
initially introducing his concept to the community and getting lots of good feedback from those
who tasted his dishes.
Kum didn’t stop there. He continued to research some more to put flesh into his initial
concept. Today, after 10 years of research, testing, and teaching, he has developed a three-
dimensional “Frameworkcooking” methodology consisting of: 10 food categories; a three-
component concept; and a six-element cuisine profile. He incorporates all these in his present
work as Asian chef at UW Hospital and Clinics and as a culinary instructor at the Madison Area
Technical College (MATC).
Most recently, Kum was inducted into the World Master Chefs’ Society and was recognized
for his years of world-class gastronomic work of developing his “Frameworkcooking” theory and
practicing it.
The “Frameworkcooking” concept
“‘Frameworkcooking’ is a culinary methodology in creating cuisines using frames instead of
recipes.” Kum explained. “In a broader sense, it is based on three models: 1) the three-
component concept (ingredients, bulk of the dish or raw material, and the cooking method); 2) the
10 food categories (soups, appetizers, main dish, desserts, etc.); and 3) the six-element cuisine
profile (taste, flavor, texture, beauty [aesthetics], nutritive value, and safety).” One can prepare
an infinite number of cuisines with different cultural mixes and combinations, Kum added.
While ingredients create the “taste” of a dish, the method of cooking creates the chemistry,
and it is important to look into its effect on people. “As I progress as a chef, I look more into the
ingredients, and am more careful about safety and sanitation,” Kum stressed. “Some chefs just
want to impress by focusing on how the dish looks, which only involves one element in the
cuisine profile. My intention is not just to impress, but also to make sure that when you eat a dish
cooked in ‘good’ oil to create an interesting flavor, it has the appropriate nutritive value for you;
that it will not intoxicate you. When I fry something, I want to make sure that the oil selected and
its temperature are right.”
How does it differ from other cooking methods? “It is focused on mastering the fine points of
the three-model concept in creating ‘frames’ instead of recipes and applying them to the targeted
Cooking,” which was distributed to 50 libraries throughout Wisconsin.
Refining his illustrations and putting them into a big chart, Kum started “testing” his concept
by inviting Madisonians to come to China House to learn a bit about his new concept and taste
some dishes he prepared following this “frameworkcooking.” It was a success, in terms of
initially introducing his concept to the community and getting lots of good feedback from those
who tasted his dishes.
Kum didn’t stop there. He continued to research some more to put flesh into his initial
concept. Today, after 10 years of research, testing, and teaching, he has developed a three-
dimensional “Frameworkcooking” methodology consisting of: 10 food categories; a three-
component concept; and a six-element cuisine profile. He incorporates all these in his present
work as Asian chef at UW Hospital and Clinics and as a culinary instructor at the Madison Area
Technical College (MATC).
Most recently, Kum was inducted into the World Master Chefs’ Society and was recognized
for his years of world-class gastronomic work of developing his “Frameworkcooking” theory and
practicing it.
The “Frameworkcooking” concept
“‘Frameworkcooking’ is a culinary methodology in creating cuisines using frames instead of
recipes.” Kum explained. “In a broader sense, it is based on three models: 1) the three-
component concept (ingredients, bulk of the dish or raw material, and the cooking method); 2) the
10 food categories (soups, appetizers, main dish, desserts, etc.); and 3) the six-element cuisine
profile (taste, flavor, texture, beauty [aesthetics], nutritive value, and safety).” One can prepare
an infinite number of cuisines with different cultural mixes and combinations, Kum added.
While ingredients create the “taste” of a dish, the method of cooking creates the chemistry,
and it is important to look into its effect on people. “As I progress as a chef, I look more into the
ingredients, and am more careful about safety and sanitation,” Kum stressed. “Some chefs just
want to impress by focusing on how the dish looks, which only involves one element in the
cuisine profile. My intention is not just to impress, but also to make sure that when you eat a dish
cooked in ‘good’ oil to create an interesting flavor, it has the appropriate nutritive value for you;
that it will not intoxicate you. When I fry something, I want to make sure that the oil selected and
its temperature are right.”
How does it differ from other cooking methods? “It is focused on mastering the fine points of
the three-model concept in creating ‘frames’ instead of recipes and applying them to the targeted
| (Top) Ng Kum explains his ‘frameworkcooking’ concept with a chart; (Above) Dishes Kum prepared following his concept |
Above) Ng Kum poses with his wife Sue
and children at their home on Madison's
westside.
and children at their home on Madison's
westside.