Episodi
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Beckaly Franks is an eccentric figure. The Hawaiian-born, Idaho-bred, and Portland-raised bartender spent three decades soaking up a unique blend of American hospitality before arriving in Hong Kong to share her genuine love for people in the city’s restaurants and bars. The American hospitality figure founded The Pontiac in 2015 and has enjoyed a legacy many drinking dens in Hong Kong and Asia wish they had. Brash, bold, and beautiful is what Beckaly strives for when creating a dining and drinking space. Beckaly joins her partner and wife Ezra Star to foster a philosophy of love for their customers who walk through the doors of The Pontiac, Call Me Al, Artifact Bar, and Ponty Café. She joins The Delish Guestlist to enjoy a conversation with Rubin Verebes and Natsuki Arita, highlighting her intrinsic love for hospitality.
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Edgar Sanuy is a skilled crafter of culinary experiences, proud of the history of food from his warm home in Catalonia. Having worked in Hong Kong for more than a decade, the chef and director has influenced the local food scene with his take on the power of Spanish cuisine to bring people together. Formerly with Maximal Concepts in Hong Kong from 2013 to 2016, Edgar joined the Epicurean Group’s leading collection of restaurants and bars in 2017. He curates the menu and oversees the guest experience at HK's leading tapas restaurants, Pica Pica and BÀRBAR. Edgar joins The Delish Guestlist in the penultimate episode of season two to share his love for cooking Spanish food, discuss the mental health challenges in a demanding industry, and explore his familial connection to the restaurant trade.
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Episodi mancanti?
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Rania Hatoum has mastered two industries under her busy belt in Hong Kong, operating a bridal design company crafting premier wedding dresses, and running private kitchen RH Fine Dining while supplying Hong Kong with premium artisanal tarts with Tarte. Formerly based in New York, Rania traded the Big Apple for a post in Tokyo, before returning to her hometown of Hong Kong. The pandemic spurred Rania to invest in fine dining, opening her private dining kitchen in 2020 to fuse elements of beloved Japanese and French cuisine. Alongside crafting experiential dining moments in her Wong Chuk Hang kitchen, Rania founded Tarte, a Hong Kong-based artisanal tart company, creating savoury and sweet creations for premium occasions. Join editors Rubin and Natsuki to learn about Rania’s story, only on The Delish Guestlist podcast.
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Ivy Liu is a rising figure in Hong Kong's coffee scene, determined to teach her city the art and intricate science of how to taste, produce, and source great coffee. Passing her qualifications as the CQI Q Arabica Grader, Ivy brings her marketing expertise, great spokesperson skills, and knowledge of coffee to elevate the standard of coffee and international beans appreciated here in Hong Kong. The skilled coffee maker has recently joined Fineprint Hong Kong as Marketing & Communications Manager, previously consulting with coffee shops and restaurants to perfect tasting notes and pairings. She chats with Rubin and Natsuki about her passion for coffee.
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Mexican by identity and Los Angeles by birth, Adam Arzate lives and breathes hospitality and good service. His commitment to providing comfort to the clients he serves daily in his position as Head of Guest Experience at Lan Kwai Fong’s restaurant arm, LKF Concepts, is evident in how he carries himself: tall and with the utmost respect. Over a decade ago, Adam arrived in Hong Kong to join his father’s business Victor Arzate Design International, a creative agency shaping the identities, concepts, and styles of the largest F&B and service groups in Hong Kong and worldwide. Leaving the family business to join one of Hong Kong’s top-class restaurant groups, Adam leads guest experience and service for every esteemed guest, of which he states everyone is important, dining at the six restaurants within the Lan Kwai Fong district. He joins host Rubin Verebes and producer Natsuki Arita on The Delish Guestlist Podcast to share his story.
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Korean-born Steve Lee wants to bring Korean cuisine to new heights with his restaurant Hansik Goo in Hong Kong. Existing as the sole Michelin-Star awarded Korean restaurant in the city, Steve arrived in 2020 to elevate his home countries cuisine under the mentorship of Chef Kang Min-goo, head chef of Mingles, Seoul. At Hansik Goo, Steve approaches his menu embracing the philosophy of spring-focused seasonality in ingredients, to use produce and proteins sourced by hand and with love. He says his grandmother’s way of cooking inspired his modern takes produced in his manned restaurant. In April 2023, Steve was glorious in retaining his one Michelin Star at the Michelin Guide Ceremony Hong Kong & Macau 2023, alongside winning the Young Chef Award, recognising his efforts in the industry.
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Ash Salmon, with a strong British accent and identity, goes against the grain of his French contemporaries. With one Michelin Star and another Green Star under his belt from his work in Hong Kong with Roganic, the Briton has caught the eyes of France’s culinary elite at the international company. Hailing from the north of England, Salmon cut his teeth at a litany of fine-dining establishments in the U.K., embracing modern British cuisine with a steadfast commitment to farm-to-table cooking. Arriving on Hong Kong shores in 2018, Salmon took the helm of Roganic and Aulis, two restaurants created by Simon Rogan of the international Roganic empire. He joins The Delish Guestlist to share his philosophy of modern British cuisine, sustainability, and farm-to-fork in kitchens.
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Susan Jung is a venerable figure in Hong Kong and Asia’s food scene. Donning her signature bowl-shaped haircut, Jung led South China Morning Post’s Food and Drinks section by simultaneously heading an addictive recipe column and anonymously reviewing Hong Kong’s restaurants for nearly 25 years, following the 1997 handover.In March 2022, Susan unmasked herself in her former publication, announcing her new project: Kung Pao & Beyond: Fried Chicken Recipes from East and Southeast Asia. Her book lovingly documents 60 recipes of fried chicken that can be found in the region, and how different cultures approach this commonly beloved dish.With a mission to promote her childhood snack and its various mouthwatering interpretations, Susan travelled the world in spring 2023 to share her undying love for fried chicken and her new book. She joins The Delish Guestlist podcast with host Rubin Verebes and producer Natsuki Arita to share her journey writing Kung Pao & Beyond and why she loves fried chicken so much.
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Australian Abby Cadman and Brit Tegan Waters run Feste Group, a newly formed partnership delivering the finest of parties and experiences in Hong Kong consisting of the cities' leading catering company Gingers, alongside bespoke, opulent event planning company Relish. The pair of Hong Kong momprenuers joined the F&B industry to serve their ever-lasting love for creating great food experiences to a larger scale than any group in Hong Kong has served, conceptualising and hosting soirees enviable of anyone. Planning for a summer set with a calendar worth of events blowing out the previous four years, with an estimated 100 parties planned every month amidst Hong Kong’s energy returning to its heydays, Abby and Tegan join The Delish Guestlist to share their experience of running Hong Kong’s leading catering and events company.
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Chef Nathan Green arrived in Hong Kong only nine years ago but has made an indelible mark on how Hong Kong eats its steaks. The former JIA Group chef arrived for a position to work at Wan Chai’s starry 22 Ships and Ham & Sherry, before continuing his work at the famed Rhoda in Sai Ying Pun. Green dipped his toes into work with hotel group Rosewood to man the operations at HENRY steak house at K11 Art Musea, before exiting in 2021 to man his two loves: KILO Steakhouse and Rex Wine & Grill. Delivering unique steak-forward experiences for both the affordable and aspirational, Green has a lot to say about Hong Kong’s challenging and challenged relationship with grilled cuts of beef. Chef Nathan Green sits down to speak on The Delish Guestlist Podcast, touching upon the honest life of a chef and mental health in the F&B industry.
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Michael Chan thought he was destined for a career in medicine, studying and working for seven years in Montreal and Los Angeles to achieve his ‘dream’. Little did he know that a return to Hong Kong made him reconsider a life in surgeon’s room for the kitchen to create burgers. Founding Hong Kong’s leading burger brand HONBO in 2017, Michael has tempered with the palates of Hong Kongers to deliver a burger that stands above the rest, emulating a taste of America in the city. Opening its first location in Macau’s Lisboeta Hotel in August 2022, Michael has plans to dominate Asia with the Honbo name and brand in the next few years, opening their first Singapore store in July 2023. He explores the Honbo story with The Delish Guestlist Podcast.
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Amit Oz and Celine Herren both come from non-F&B backgrounds. Previously working in recruiting, and the other in a career devoted to innovation, the couple found themselves deeply ingrained in the F&B industry in 2018 when they founded Conspiracy Chocolate. With an itching to serve their home of Hong Kong with a luxurious and luscious product, the couple pivoted to chocolate making, incubating a boutique bean-to-bear company in the city, serving luxury bars of chocolate with challenging and unique flavours in more than three dozen stores. The Israeli-Swiss couple both came onto The Delish Guestlist Podcast to tell the tale of how they brought their passions of food, nutrition, and chocolates to market with Hong Kong’s hottest dessert snack.
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Get ready to indulge in the best of East Coast Italian-American cuisine as we welcome Todd Darling to The Delish Guestlist Podcast. This long-time Hong Konger has been bringing a unique taste of his heritage to the city's food scene for the past 15 years through his restaurant group, Red Sauce Hospitality. From tangy red sauce pizza to antipasti dishes, Todd's eateries offer a real taste of New York-inspired Italiano fare. Join us as we chat with Todd about his journey of linking two great cities together with food.
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Matt Richardson and Ryan Nightingale are key vibe-creators for SoHo’s Shady Acres bar and restaurant family; an eclectic collection of venues ranging from neighbourhood bars, discotheques, communal watering holes, and relaxed lunch spots.
Owing to the creation and success of SoHo’s celebrated Shady Acres, Americana-inspired Honky Tonks Tavern, bumping retro Quality Goods Club, and the New York Jewish-style Mendel's Deli, Matt and Ryan, alongside a team of 65 Shady cousins, have braved the four-year storm of protests and COVID-19 to survive and thrive in Hong Kong’s F&B space.
Formidable within Hong Kong, having worked for Black Sheep Restaurants and JIA Group respectively, Matt and Ryan star on The Delish Guestlist Podcast to chat about growing some of SoHo's favourite venues and expanding their mini-empire in new directions in 2023.
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May Chow began her Little Bao story a decade ago, eager to utilise her Michelin-star education in Hong Kong kitchens to birth a restaurant offering accessible meals relatable to both local foodies and visiting tourists. Arriving in the city at 2009, May’s culinary CV has seen her influenced by Alvin Leung at Bo Innovation, Que Vinh Dang at the former TBLS, and Matt Abergel at Yardbird.
Now a defined name brand in the city’s F&B scene, Little Bao blends the foundations of Chinese cuisine, notably the white plump bao bun, with influences from abroad. Her signature bao buns made their first appearance at the Island East Market in 2012 before her first Little Bao opened in 2013 in SoHo. May joined The Delish Guestlist Podcast about her success behind one of Hong Kong’s more symbolic restaurants, and what Cantonese food culture means to her.
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Hong Kong’s leading food creating influencer Jen Balisi of Instagram’s Indulgent Eats is set to break 2023 with a new path in her career. She is set to open her first permanent culinary outpost in mid-February 2023, a sensory-explosive modern Filipino eatery called Barkada.
In an announcement in January 2023, Jen Balisi joined Tiana Ludhani, co-founder of restaurant and bar group Singular Concepts, to open the SoHo-based all-day eatery and drinking hole celebrating the strength of Filipino cuisine.
Calling the open-kitchen street-level Barkada a “tropical urban retro paradise that’s loud and proud to be Filipino,” Jen Balisi and Tiana Ludhani join The Beat Asia on The Delish Guestlist Podcast to explore the “bold, beautiful flavours” of Filipino cuisine in Hong Kong’s eagerly anticipated restaurant opening.
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Richard Ekkebus holds the title of culinary director leading The Landmark Mandarin Oriental’s restaurant and bar portfolio, head chef at two-Michelin-starred Amber, and is arguably the unofficial ambassador of fine dining in our great city.
Helming the signature French fine-dining restaurant housed within the five-star The Landmark hotel, Richard has invested 18 years in the growth of Amber, earning its two stars in 2009, and successfully retaining the distinction for 13 consecutive years since.
Tune in to our episode of The Delish Guestlist with Richard, as the starred chef tells the two-decade-long tale of his love affair with Hong Kong’s F&B scene, his connection with award-winning Amber, and what food means to the Dutch-born chef and culinary director
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Caleb and Josh Ng are the twin brothers and founders of Twins Kitchen, a Hong Kong-based food & beverage consultancy and creative firm, supporting a wide range of restaurants and bars in the city; and the group behind Common Ground Café, Vivant Restaurant, INTERVAL dining chain and Café Leitz.
Born and raised in Hong Kong, the twins sojourned to the West Coast USA for studies at University of California, Los Angeles to study business and investment banking. However, a lust for natural wine, home-cooking, and hospitality inspired the duo to return to Hong Kong more than a decade ago to create a restaurant group that puts warm recipes and smiles first.
Tune into the voices and stories of Caleb and Josh Ng as they recount a decade-long tale of how they built Twins Kitchen, conceptualising and building some of Hong Kong’s most defining diners, eateries, and drinking dens!
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The famed Italian of Hong Kong’s F&B scene, Lorenzo Antinori, holds the title of Beverage Manager at the acclaimed Four-Seasons Hotel Hong Kong. Joining as a family member of Asia’s Four Seasons Hotels in 2017, Lorenzo manned the iconic Charles H. Bar in Seoul, Korea until 2019 before taking charge of Caprice Bar’s cocktail program in Four Seasons Hong Kong, reaching no. 10 in Asia’s 50 Best Bars in 2021.
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Indonesian bartender Laura Prabowo has made a name for herself in Hong Kong’s bar scene. Co-founding the region’s first closed-loop sustainable bar, Penicillin, Laura has positioned herself as a key figure in pairing mixology with efforts to innovate on reducing wastage in the industry. Her business running Dead& bar in Lan Kwai Fong has wowed crowds in the city, owing to a comeback of the dive bar vibe of the party district.
