The Delish Guestlist Podcast

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 wi...

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 l...

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 Ran...

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. Th...

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 fath...

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-focuse...

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 t...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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, incuba...

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 Yo...

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 Jew...

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 defin...

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 Concept...

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, earni...

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...

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 B...

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 div...