If ever there were a Shanghai lifer it is Craig Willis. The Aussie chef first touched down here nearly a quarter of a century ago. He left and instantly suffered an acute bout of Shanghai withdrawal syndrome (definitely a thing!). When he came back, he helped build the foundations of the Wagas empire, leaving it seven stores strong and well on its way to conquering shopping malls in 12 Chinese cities. Since striking out on his own, he has started his own small empire.

If you've ever eaten at Something, Somewhere, La Strada, Bang!, BOR, or erstwhile eateries like Pelikan or Henkes, you have Mr Willis to thank.

We sat down with him at the restaurant that bears his name, where it all began, to learn how it all began and why he can't quit Shanghai.

CNS: When did you get here?

I came in 2000. Michelle Garnault brought me up. I met Michelle when I was working for the iconic Gay Bilson at the Sydney Opera House (I was head chef after Janni Kyritsis left). I then went on to open The Summit at Australia Square with Anders Ousback.

When Michelle brought me here in 2000, it was huge what was happening at M on the Bund back then. In the time I was there, in the first year, we went from 100 people a night to 400 a night. This one time, we hosted the Queen of Thailand. We had 100 people in the front dining room. I was in charge of the plates. It was, like, a seven-course meal. And we knew that as soon as she stopped eating, we had to stop, clear the table, and then bring the next course. So we had to go as fast as we could to make sure everyone had their food before she finished. I don't have any photos, this was all pre-iPhones. I was there for about two and a half years or so. Then, I went back to Australia and I cried for a month. It was a massive grief. I can't explain it.

CNS: Why?

Shanghai gets in your blood. There are people that from the first day can't stand it. There are people who do their two-year contracts and go. And then there are the people that tip over that line and can never leave. When I came here. I felt like I landed on my feet. I just knew what to do and how to do it. I felt confident. Whereas in Sydney, I was always a bit, "I don't know if I'm good enough." I used to stand outside of restaurants and look in saying to myself, "Could I ever work here? Could I ever work for someone like Neil Perry? But then one day I just walked into the Sydney Opera House and got a job working with Gay and Jannie.

CNS: So, I guess that self-doubt might have been a bit misguided.

Maybe a bit.

CNS: When the well dried up and you didn't have another tear to cry back in Sydney, what did you do?

Jackie [Yun] from Wagas called me and said, "We're opening our third store, can you help?" So, I came up to work with them. I did about seven years with them, which was great – working on menus and working more on the floor.

CNS: What did you learn working for Wagas?

One thing I learned was that location is everything. Nanjing Rd is different to Huaihai Rd, just like Pudong is different to Hongqiao. Every street has a different group of people living on it. People who use it in a different way.

I also learned a lot about teaching others. Back then, every store was cooking from scratch, so I had to train each of them up. In those days I was the only English speaker, so everything I had to do, you know, if it was catering or whatever, I had to somehow explain it. And my Chinese wasn't... well, there was no Chinese. So I spoke a bastardized kind of Chinese.

CNS: When did you leave Wagas?

Mr Willis has been around since 2009. So, then.

CNS: What was the original vision for the place?

Well, I like going to a nice Michelin restaurant in Paris and seeing something extraordinary. But I don't want to eat that every day. But I really kind of craved having something like my own leg of chicken. So I would go to a friend's house, and I'd roast a chicken. It became a bit of a thing. And so, when we opened this, that was, like, the very center of it all – something as simple as a roast chicken. The idea was something more Mediterranean because we like the Mediterranean diet – more olive oil, less butter and cream.

Back when we first opened, I was doing the full open-close as we built up staff numbers. I put everything I had in this place. At one point, I'd even run out of money and borrowed 2000 RMB for milk and sugar. Eventually, I brought all my money from Australia and put everything into this. It wasn't a lot. I mean, chefs don't get paid a lot. Even I don't know how you'd ever put someone through school or buy a house on a normal chef's salary. But it was everything I had, and I borrowed some money to keep me alive too. And then, every night, I was like, "Alright, that's a thousand, that's a table, that's another table. The next night, alright, we've done ten tables." I remember after we opened, someone commented online about us. He said, "What does a sandwich guy know about cooking food?"

CNS: You still sound bitter about that…

Nooo! I'm the one with the beach house!

CNS: How long did it take you to start feeling like things were going to be okay with Mr Willis?

I think it was pretty quick. And I mean, in those days, there wasn't as much competition. There wasn't a lot of Western stuff around... There certainly weren't as many options here on Anfu Rd. I also benefited a lot from word-of-mouth advertising. Like, our first big night was a wedding dinner for the Carpet Guy. That helped a lot.

CNS: The who?

The Carpet Guy! The guy who owns Carpetstan, the carpet shop. Amazing guy. Loves to talk to people. And he had friends from all over the world, all over Shanghai. And that night they were all in this room. We weren't quite open yet. The kitchen was finished, decoration wasn't done. There was no furniture, so they carpeted the whole room. And had a Xinjiang band playing in the corner. So they ate a combination of Xinjiang food and pizza that we made downstairs in La Strada. It was just amazing, and the next day, everybody started talking about this place. And it just went "boom!"

CNS: Are any of these carpets on the floor from him?

They all are.

CNS: After things took off with Mr Willis, you opened Henkes, which had sentimental attachments?

Yea. It was a tribute to my favorite grandma. Restaurants are about real people, and naming them can give them warmth. Roots. Can turn it into a family restaurant, a home, a reminder of hospitality. Heritage is important, especially when you are so far away from home.

CNS: What was the first thing you ate on the street here that amazed you?

Danbing is still one of my favorites. Xiaolongbao blew my mind, and I probably scalded my mouth. More than once. And Xingjiang BBQ is also one of my favorite foods.

CNS: Where do you eat when you're not working?

My first stop would be home.

CNS: So, then what are you cooking at home?

A boiled potato and a carrot. With olive oil, salt and pepper. Everything in restaurants has got to be covered in flavor and stuff, like, layered up. Sometimes you just want something simple.

I went to Bastard recently. I really liked that. It was the best piece of grilled chicken I'd ever had. And then I liked the way they were having fun. And that sort of combining Chinese regional foods but with really good cooking. And I liked the whole back lane kind of experience.

CNS: What would you do if you weren't a chef?

My partner has asked me that before because he's a big businessman. He's got lots of things going on. And I said to him, "I might volunteer in a nursing home." It's topical in Australia at the moment. It's understaffed and not that nice. Just walking around with a tea trolley or chatting to people for a couple of hours. Because you know, I've done this since I was 18. You know, seven-day weeks and 12-hour shifts. I think I dream of having a tree and a dog, like actually seeing a tree grow.

CNS: You don't have a place where you can plant a tree?

I do now! I've got a house in a small country town in Australia which is now my kind of holiday house. The beach house... I would never want people to think I'm rich or arrogant. It's just been a dream of mine to be able to live by the sea, you know, BBQ, relax. My antidote to the tussle of Shanghai. I'm not ready to go though. You've got to think about it. A lot of foreigners that end up going home have a multi-year adjustment period. I mean I found it hard the first time. I don't know how I'd do it again.

Want to visit Craig's flagship?

Mr Willis... if you go...

3/F, 195 Anfu Rd 安福路95号3楼

Reservations: 5404-0200