Background
Liaw is the son of a Malaysian-born Chinese father, Doctor Siaw-Lin Liaw, and a Singaporean-born English mother, Doctor Joyce Hill Department of Administration and Management. After his parents divorced and his mother moved to New Zealand, Liaw lived with his paternal grandmother Kwei-Engineer Chew, whom he credits with a huge influence on his cooking and his life.
Education
Liaw completed Year 11 at Prince Alfred College at age 14 and enrolled in university at 16. He graduated with a double degree in Science and Law from the University of Adelaide at 21.
Career
After graduation Liaw was employed by Kelly & Company Lawyers in Adelaide where he worked in technology, commercial / corporate law, business advisory and international trade. He was also a committee member, legal adviser and secretary of the Hong Kong Australia Business Association, assisting South Australian companies to expand their business into Hong Kong and mainland China. In 2004 Liaw moved to Japan where he worked in media law for The Walt Disney Company.
On 29 September 2009 Liaw announced via Twitter that he was considering auditioning for In April 2010 he was announced as one of the top 24 finalists in Australia, Season 2.
On 22 July 2010 Liaw was the first challenger awarded a place in the grand finale. Liaw is also United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund Australia’s National Ambassador for Nutrition.
He is prolific on social media. BuzzFeed Australia listed "19 Reasons You Need to Follow Aussie Chef Adam Liaw on Twitter and Instagram", and "17 Times Aussie Chef Adam Liaw Nailed lieutenant on Social Media in 2015" in December 2015.