World Chefs: Pino Lavarra ups the ante in Hong Kong

HONG KONG, June 5: At the top of Hong Kong’s Ritz-Carlton, one of the highest hotels in the world, two-star Michelin chef Pino Lavarra busily toils inside the kitchen of Tosca, whipping up Italian dishes that marry tradition with innovation. But the 44-year-old chef from Putignano, Italy, admits he has yet to create the perfect east-meets-west dish as he prepares to open the Ritz’s fine-dining Italian restaurant this month. (agencies)