Generous, motivated, unique, and selfless. These are just four words of many that close friends use to express the type of person Alex Au-Yeung, chef-owner of Phat Eatery, was during his lifetime. Although Au-Yeung ultimately lost his battle to cancer in March at age 52, the culinary community is on a mission to make sure his legacy won’t be forgotten.

The start of Au-Yeung’s hard work can be traced back more than 30 years, when he emigrated to the US from Hong Kong. In his years before Phat Eatery, Au-Yeung held various titles and pursued several business ventures. From a performance automotive shop to a point-of-sale business, he tried it all.

During Au-Yeung’s time at a restaurant tech company serving clients across Texas and Mexico, he noted their successes and failures. Eventually, he used that experience, plus some training in Cantonese kitchens in Hong Kong, to open Phat Eatery in Katy Asian Town in 2018. The restaurant serves specialties from Malaysia, where both his parents are from, as well as dim sum. It earned Au-Yeung a James Beard semifinalist nod for Best Chef: Texas in 2022.

He was dedicated to the craft. Kevin Lee, director of operations for Phat Eatery, says that when Au-Yeung traveled back to Hong Kong for his culinary training, he would buy out the seats in chefs’ classes so he could get one-on-one time with them.

Au-Yeung’s mentor, Pierre Yu, who is the father of Theodore Rex owner Justin Yu, shares another fun fact about Au-Yeung’s background, one that’s often left off his biography: he was once a magician at Magic Island off of US 59.

As for the culinary side of things, Pierre says Au-Yeung not only took Asian street cuisine to another level, but he also understood that it was more than just the food that mattered when it came to having a restaurant. At the forefront of Au-Yeung’s mind for his concepts were authenticity, hospitality, decorations, style, and lastly: luck. And despite his success, Au-Yeung also made sure that no matter what, he was a helping hand for all.

“I’ve never seen anyone who participates more in the community than Alex,” Pierre says. “Whoever called on him, if he could do it, he would do it. And when I heard the news, I couldn’t even work. He was just like a little brother to me.”

With his involvement in the community, Au-Yeung did what he could to implement collaboration within the culinary industry—he encouraged all chefs to help each other, rather than view each other as competition.

In fact, thanks to an introduction from Pierre, Au-Yeung met Grace and Leo Xia, the owners of Hongdae 33 Korean BBQ and Duck N Bao, and quickly became a friend and mentor. Grace says she credits much of her and her husband’s success to Au-Yeung.

“From the beginning, we clicked right away,” Grace says. “He was a very generous, honest person. He shared everything he knew about the restaurant business—he even shared his public relations team with us.”

David Cordúa, chef and owner of the Lymbar, says it’s rare to see a restaurant world as tight-knit and collaborative as Houston’s. He says in other major cities, such as New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Miami, everyone is competing, while in Houston, the goal is to make the plate bigger for everybody.

Jassi Bindra, the chef of Amrina, echoes the same sentiment. He says he will never forget how Au-Yeung connected others, and he hopes chefs in Houston will continue to uplift others when help is needed. He adds that the community should also continue Au-Yeung’s humbleness in honor of his legacy.

“He was such a great motivator,” Bindra says. “Chef Alex never did anything expecting something in return, he did it from his heart—and that’s what won everyone’s heart. He was a gem of a person.”

For Abbas Dhanani, chef and owner of Burger Bodega, he says he’ll remember Au-Yeung’s kindness and pioneer work with Malaysian food the most. After several meals at Phat Eatery, he began to develop a personal relationship with Au-Yeung. When the time came for Dhanani to open Burger Bodega, Au-Yeung was the first person he reached out to.

“This is a tremendous loss for the Houston food community,” Dhanani says. “He was just such a nice and kind person overall.”

One of the best ways to honor him, Dhanani says, is to ensure that the upcoming Phat Eatery location in The Woodlands—which is eyeing a May opening date—is successful. Au-Yeung first announced the second location of Phat Eatery in 2022, and unfortunately, he did not live to see the concept fully come to fruition.

Lee, as well as codirector of operations Marvin He, will continue to work on the second location as it nears its final stages of completion.

“I think everyone needs to show up and support,” Dhanani says. “While we want to make sure that it’s successful, we want to also make sure it’s a celebration of what chef Alex meant to the community. The footprint he left on Houston is going to be everlasting. And his successors have big shoes to fill, but there’s no doubt in my mind—or in anyone’s mind—that they’re going to carry on his legacy.”

Lee, who has known Au-Yeung since 2008, said diners shouldn’t worry about any of Au-Yeung’s restaurants. He says everything will be ran the same, and in terms of The Woodlands location, Lee and He have been hands-on with every part of the design and are certain that they can execute the vision.

“Nothing is going to be left out, everything is going to continue, but the only difference is that it will be without him by our side,” Lee says.