Over the low and steady hum of the kitchen fan, Bryce Gilmore casually slid seasoned slices of pork belly onto the sizzling pan while white smoke lifted from the two green pods of okra burning on the grill alongside.

Students and would-be sous chefs watch on intently, scribbling down notes occasionally, as Gilmore explained over the hubbub of the kitchen how to make his signature dish – pork belly sliders.

Gilmore – a chef hailing from Austin, Texas and the owner of restaurants Barley Swine and Odd Duck – is in Taiwan for a U.S.-sponsored program organized by the American Institute in Taiwan to promote culinary exchanges.

In an exclusive interview after a cooking demonstration at Kai-ping Culinary School in Taipei, the Food & Wine‘s 2010 Best New Chef told me a little bit about some of his culinary influences, cooking style and what he thinks of his first trip to Taiwan so far.