‘It’s unreal’: he went from working at KFC to becoming the third best sommelier in the world
- Reeze Choi ‘worked in kitchens, Circle K, KFC, everything’ to support his family. He began learning wine knowledge after seeing it could bring a higher salary
- His hard work has paid off. Choi was named second runner-up at the ASI Best Sommelier of the World 2023 event in Paris. He tells the Post why this matters
A man dressed smartly – in a suit with an apron and a bow tie over a pristine white shirt – walks carefully but confidently around a table carrying a large tray of wine glasses, placing one in front of each guest.
“My apologies for stepping away,” he says, referring to an interruption that occurred earlier when he had to attend to a newly arrived table. “You may have heard that there’s a major staff shortage in restaurants these days.”
The room of 4,000 people burst out laughing and clapping, cheering him on.
This is not really a restaurant, however. It is February 12 in Paris, and the crowd of spectators have come to watch candidates from 65 countries compete for the coveted title of Best Sommelier of the World.
The “guests” being attended to are actually judges for the influential event, held once every three years since 1969 by the Association de la Sommellerie Internationale (ASI).
The man is Hongkonger Reeze Choi Kam-fung, only the second candidate from Asia ever to make it to the finals, after Shinya Tasaki of Japan won the competition in 1995. This year, Choi finishes as a very respectable second runner-up.
