By Ned Kelly
Thirty-seven years ago, a young Australian dreamer made a cold call to a fine-dining restaurant in Sydney. It changed his life.Today, Craig Willis is the quiet force behind some of Shanghai's most beloved restaurants. The story of Mr. Willis, however, began not with a grand plan, but a three-month favor that somehow stretched into a lifetime.
Here's how a small-town kid found a home—and founded an empire—in a city of reinvention.
Small-town boy meets big fish
On starting out (by accident)...
My mum was a cook. She had three kids and entertained us by making us help—growing vegetables, learning to sew, learning to cook. So when I was 18, I already knew all that.
That said, being a chef wasn't a childhood dream. All I knew about being a chef was the Muppets Swedish Chef.
Growing up in a small Australian town, I just felt the need to get out.
Grandma Henkes, who had a Shanghai restaurant named in her honor
On the call that changed everything...
A job at a motel led to Sydney. I used to stand in front of Rockpool Bar & Grill—a landmark fine-dining restaurant housed in a stunning 1930s art deco building—and wonder, how do you get in there?
The answer was a cold call to the number-one ranked restaurant in the Good Food Guide, Bilson's at Circular Quay.
What I learned was, you open the door and say, "I'm looking for a job." They can only say yes or no.
That really changed my life.
The Sydney years
On the move to Shanghai...
My path to Shanghai was paved by connections. I knew Michelle Garnaut from my time in Sydney's fine-dining scene.
I came out in 2000, just for three months, to give her a hand at M on the Bund. Three months turned into two-and-a-half-years, helping Michele build her concepts, from the pizza place at the back to the legendary Glamour Bar overlooking the river.
It was amazing, like the only place on the Bund at the time.
Shanghai had its hooks into him (xiaolongbao helped)
On a brief return to Sydney...
They eventually sent me home, but the city had its hooks in me. I went home and I cried and cried. I didn't want to connect to Sydney. The energy here...
When an old customer from M on the Bund, Jackie [Yun], called me asking for help to grow the Wagas chain, I jumped at the chance.
Over the next few years we built it up to something like seven stores. It didn't occur to me that you couldn't stay here.
On having a restaurant with your own name...
After seven years building someone else's business, the opportunity arose. John [Christensen, Wagas co-founder] said to me, "Do you want to have your own restaurant?"
The idea to have a restaurant with my own name on it wasn't my idea. But it really changes it—it makes it yours. And everyone thinks it's yours. You work even harder, because it's your name.
"When it's your name over the door, you work even harder."
The current building on Anfu Lu was a dilapidated company canteen. It was a mess. But mr. willis opened here in late 2009, a small, 50-seat space that embodied my philosophy: simple, Mediterranean-leaning food I would cook for friends. Olive oil, not a lot of butter.
A break from Chinese food. I love Chinese food, but you get your own leg of chicken. You don't have to share it.
On his signature dish...
The signature dish? The chicken, without hesitation. The legendary mr. willis roast chicken is the result of a simple, obsessive process.
I was taught how to brine it by watching someone trying to copy me. They were putting salt everywhere.
That's when I realized, you brine it the day before. Salt, lemon juice, tie it up. I put curry leaf and cinnamon because that's what I had at home.
The secret? It's great chicken. And the oven.
The final dinner on the Henkes terrace
On the mr. willis food philosophy...
The menu is a collection of such moments. The baked pumpkin was the first thing I ever made as an apprentice. It's just delicious, and everyone loves it.
Everything—mayonnaise, ice cream—is made in-house. Nothing is bought in or shipped.
Comfort food. Walking into mr. willis should feel like walking into my living room.
"Walking into mr. willis should feel like walking into my living room."
On the photo walls...
Over at SOMETHING the walls are covered in a curated collection of photographs: a black and white wall of people smiling and looking at you, and a colored wall with all the beach things in Australia where I go on summer holidays.
My family, my mum, my sisters, my dad. A few of the staff pop up in there.
Surf's up
If I actually look at it, I'm like, "Oh, there's me, there's my mom." Like having your name on the door, it makes you feel very connected.
It's more than just decoration. For local people, it's a way to see out. They've never been to Italy, so through the photos they can understand what it might be like. And it's very similar to China.
On a city that never sleeps...
Twenty-five years in, Shanghai still astonishes me. I was down on the West Bund last week. This completely new mega city on the river.
You think it couldn't surprise you again, and then you ride your bike to Suzhou Creek and it's beautiful—clean, with walkways and people. It was just an industrial wasteland. How does this happen?
On feeding on that energy...
This constant reinvention fuels me. The city is on fire all the time. It's so exciting. I can't imagine not being here.
Someone was talking about marriage and kids, and it's like, I don't know how you would do any of that. Completely foreign to me.
For me, the restaurant and my team have become my family. We've had a really long run of a nice family kind of thing. They stay with you. They believe in you.
I contrast this with my experiences in the West: These guys here in China are all making money for their families, sending it home.
They're serious. They know the government's not going to give them a handout. Their work ethic is really good.
Team players
On the newer pieces of the puzzle...
The Willis Group has expanded thoughtfully, with concepts like the intimate, robatayaki-inspired Junn Izakaya, the sprawling, sun-drenched SOMETHING dining & bar in the Wukang Market building, and SOMEWHERE kitchen in the EKA development.
Each is a response to a location and a desire.
On making it happen...
We do things that we like. We used to go to nice izakayas. Then we're like, we should have our own.
The process is one of constant learning. You hire people that know how to do it, and then you constantly adjust until it fits the spot, the right price, the right space.
At Junn Izakaya, I was fascinated watching the chefs meticulously prepare the robata grill. They wrap foil around the bars so the heat concentrates but doesn't burn the sticks.
There's a whole process of setting the fire. I didn't know any of that.
Meat on a stick merchant
On staying inspired...
My curiosity is insatiable. I recently started a small club with friends, including Christopher St. Cavish, dedicated to seeking out old-school Shanghainese restaurants.
Just for that old pile of mashed broad beans. They're much harder to find now. That's been really fun.
READ MORE: The Local Eating Guide We've Been Waiting For
On giving back...
This passion extends beyond my own kitchens. For 15 years, mr. willis has hosted charity dinners for groups like the You Dao Foundation, the Bao Bei Foundation, and Shanghai Sunrise.
When I opened, I really felt there had to be something. The dinners are 100% donation-based; I ask suppliers to donate the food: "For all the steak we sell in six months, you can give me one as your contribution."
"If these kids go to school, maybe grandma and grandpa can stop working so hard."
I reflect on my own journey from a small country town to running a mini culinary empire. That's all because I could read and count.
So if these kids go to school, maybe grandma and grandpa can stop working so hard. We have two more coming up. Please come join. It should help people.
On what's next..
At an age when most might think of slowing down, I'm still looking for the next project.
It's like a disease, you know, with concrete and chairs and tables and design. What will work here?
I talk about wanting to experience other things—have a dog, feel a little more free to come and go. But it's clear the pull of the kitchen and the city is too strong.
An empire builder, brick by brick
On (no) plans for retirement...
I don't feel like I want to retire or stop. I heard a politician on TV the other day refer to places like Shanghai as "our generation's Paris." Things really happen here. It's amazing.
For me, the city and my restaurants are inseparable.
After 17 years, mr. willis is more than just a restaurant on a leafy lane; it is a living chronicle of my journey, a testament to the power of simple, good food, and a warm, welcoming slice of home in the heart of an ever-evolving Shanghai.
The Willis Empire
Anfu Lu
mr. willis 3/F, 195 Anfu Lu, by Wulumuqi Lu, Xuhui District 安福路195号3楼, 近乌鲁木齐路
La Strada Anfu Lu 1/F, 195 Anfu Lu, by Wulumuqi Zhong Lu, Xuhui District 安福路195号1楼, 近乌鲁木齐中路
Wukang Lu
SOMETHING dining & bar 2/F, 98 Wukang Lu, by Wuyuan Lu, Xuhui District 武康路98号2楼, 近五原路
Junn Izakaya 1/F, 98 Wukang Lu, by Wuyuan Lu, Xuhui District 武康路98号1楼, 近五原路
Pudong
SOMEWHERE kitchen No. 461, 535 Jinqiao Lu, by Zhonghuan Lu, Pudong District 金桥路535号461，近中环路
La Strada Taikoo Li 1/F, Wood Zone, Taikoo Li, 500 Dongyu Lu, by Yangsi Xi Lu, Pudong District 前滩太古里木区1楼, 东育路500弄, 近杨思西路
Coming soon...
La Strada West Bund Central
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