Celebrity Life

From fashion and jewellery, to frontline medical care and now ... Chinese sausages? It would seem there's nothing Kimmy Lai can't do. We speak to the stylish entrepreneur to find out what brought her full circle back to her family's famous lap cheong business, and why after years of closure, she's decided to revive the brand as Kim Cook Yuen, now under her own terms.

Coming from a family of entrepreneurs, Kimmy Lai has always had her fingers in numerous pies – she's been in fashion and jewellery for most of her life, and since the start of the pandemic, has also become deeply involved in the medical sector, running a business of mobile testing centres to provide Covid testing and care to the city's most vulnerable and needy.

I met Lai at the Artisan Lounge at K11 Musea, where the café had partnered with Kim Cook Yuen to launch an exclusive Artisan Turnip Cake with French Foie Gras Preserved Meat, where Kim Cook Yuen's cured sausage is paired with fresh Japanese radishes from Kagoshima. When I arrive, Lai was busy fielding calls left and right from doctors, drivers and more – the latest Covid variant had just hit Hong Kong and with sudden restrictions placed by the government, Lai's medical service coaches were needed more than ever.

Despite it all, Lai is extremely warm and enthusiastic about being able to share her family's heritage and reminisce about the good old days spent in her grandfather's kitchen. She tells us why she took it upon herself to revive her family's brand, why she renamed it from Kam Kook Yuen to Kim Cook Yuen, and how her dad's foresight and good relations made it all possible.

Do you have any fond memories of your grandfather?

My grandfather had Alzheimer's disease. When I was young, I remember seeing him in the kitchen stealing my father's Chinese sausages and he looked so happy. I haven't seen him smile like that for a long time. He was stealing and eating it and he said, "Don't tell anyone" and he gave me a piece to try. At that time I was so young that I didn't know how to appreciate the sausage, but later on I realised that this is the heritage that his father – which is my great-grandfather – passed down to my grandfather, and my grandfather passed down to my father. That kitchen held so many memories of my father and my grandfather. We're from the province of Shunde and we're very famous for cooking. A lot of famous chefs came from that province so it's in our blood. We love to eat and enjoy great food.

Kam Kook Yuen was such an established brand in Hong Kong's past. How much were you aware of your family's business while growing up?

That's such a great question because when I was growing up, I didn't like to tell people that I'm from this family because as a girl, you like fashion and jewellery that kind of stuff, but not to be known for lap cheong. But all my teachers knew, and my primary school principal loved my family's brand. Even today, she's still one of our biggest clients. So growing up, I didn't know how to appreciate the heritage. It wasn't until last year during Covid, I was gifting these Chinese sausage gift boxes to my connections in the travel industry during mid-autumn festival. The person I gifted it to didn't know the brand but she passed it to her father and he said, "This brand is such a renowned brand in Hong Kong, how did you find it?" They had an online shop where they sold Japanese goods and other things that people couldn't get during this time, and they put my Chinese sausages on their website. Within a few days, they were all sold out.

When you relaunched the brand you renamed it Kim Cook Yuen. Can you tell us the story behind the change?

I changed the last Chinese character of the name from "garden" to "fate". The reason I did it is because I always tell my staff, we're not selling lap cheong. What we're selling is the memory that has stayed in people's mind in the old days of Hong Kong. You know, when people loved to help each other and you knew and cared about your neighbours. It was that specific feeling that I wanted to bring society now, especially since it became so difficult in the last two years for people to just enjoy a meal together. I just wanted people to remember that we used to have the good old days and we can have it again. That's why I relaunched it with the new name.

I'm also so grateful to K11 Musea. When I created the brand they just immediately said to come and open this pop-up at their shopping mall. I wasn't prepared for it but the team put it together. And then they said, "Why don't we create an exclusive turnip cake?" I didn't know how to make a turnip cake, but they said not to worry. They had a master chef who used to cook for the Japanese emperor. They imported the turnip from Japan and the goose liver we used in our sausage came from France.

At the time, I didn't know where to find a large supply of goose liver but I thought of an uncle who supplied to us in the old days. He was already retired but he helped me make the connections. He told me he was so touched that 50 years ago he supplied it to my dad and now he's able to supply it to us again. I realised how precious this brand was, that my family had created. People I meet will come and tell me about their memories of the old shop in Central, or what it meant for them to get our products.

How did you manage to find the same recipes from the past?

It's again because of the relationship we've kept with the old masters. My father left a small factory running and supported the family thet supplied our sausages and for the 24 years after we closed shop, we continued to give away the sausages as gifts during mid-autumn and Chinese New Year. The old master is already 90 years old but his family picked up the whole business and he would taste the lap cheong and tell us if it's good enough.

A lot of the new generation who've bought our lap cheong say they've never tasted Chinese sausage like this. Nowadays, lap cheong is always made in China by machines and they're all uniform size. Our sausages are made with all-natural ingredients and we use the pigs' intestine to form the natural casing. So they're all different shapes and sizes. It's all hand-crafted lap cheong.

Another thing is that our lap cheong cannot be preserved for too long because we didn't put any preservatives in them. Another thing is that you'll normally find lap cheong from other chains lasting more than two years. But remember, it's fresh raw meat, just dry. How can it last for two years out of the fridge?

Is lap cheong something that's always on the table during Chinese New Year? Or even at home?

Absolutely. During Chinese New Year, we'll make our own turnip cake. But for me, it's something I always have in the fridge. It's food for lazy people because you could just wash it and throw it into your rice cooker. I love it with my Japanese rice, it's my comfort food.

You come from a family of entrepreneurs and you're running a lot of businesses these days. Did your father or grandfather ever give you any business advice?

Yes. It's funny because my great-grandfather, when he started Kam Kook Yuen, he also ran a fashion business. So I say, fashion is in my blood! When I was still in primary school, my father would put me in charge of getting change for the customers. So I'm very good at calculations. But one lesson my father taught me was to be humble. My dad was so humble. One time, a waiter broke a bowl of noodles at our restaurant. And my dad said, "Do you mind cleaning it up? Please? Thank you so much." I didn't understand why he did that because in my heart, I thought as a boss, you should be bossy. When we went home, I asked my dad why he apologised when it was the waiter's fault and my dad said, these people work for your company and on the frontline, you need to make them feel like home. They need to be happy so when they serve your customers, they're happy. That really stuck with me, and for all my businesses I really try to take care of all my staff.

The post Kimmy Lai on Chinese New Year and Revitalising her Family’s Famous Lap Cheong appeared first on Prestige Online - Hong Kong.

There's no better way to mark the occasion than with good food — and lots of it. Here's our pick of the best Chinese New Year luxury puddings and treats.

With the start of the new lunar year just around the corner, stock up on the best desserts on offer. Turnip puddings (also called radish cakes) are traditional Chinese dim sum snacks, commonly served in Cantonese yum cha. Don't underestimate the small dish — in Cantonese, its name “leen goh” or “loh bak goh” is a homophone for “year higher”, ushering in new heights of prosperity for the coming year.

And we adore the Chinese New Year chuen hup, or traditional candy box, portion of the holiday. A bright red circular box set enticingly open upon coffee tables, filled with all kinds of sweet and savoury treats — it's a time-honoured custom, along with the coconut and turnip puddings. Each neat little segment houses a treat with an auspicious meaning of its own: lotus seeds are symbolic signs of improved fertility; lotus root, of love; tangerines and kumquats sound phonetically similar to "gold"; melon seeds to money and wealth. Chocolate coins, well, are coins.

To celebrate new beginnings and the new year, we've compiled the best Chinese New Year luxury puddings and treats for you and your loved ones to welcome the Year of the Tiger with.

The Best Chinese New Year Luxury Puddings and Treats

China Tang

China Tang's artisan Chinese New Year puddings are a modern take on the classic recipe, serving up two whole new flavours to welcome the Year of the Tiger: a turnip pudding with dried tiger prawn and local preserved meat and a handmade rice pudding with Taiwanese brown sugar and purple rice. Both are crafted by executive chef Menex Cheung and dim sum chef Mok Wing Kwai, and come in these stunning gift boxes decorated with China Tang’s signature Narcissus pattern — symbolizing grace and fortune. You can order the puddings and pick them up from the restaurant.

China Tang Landmark, Shop 411-413, 4/F, LANDMARK ATRIUM, 15 Queen’s Road Central, Central; +852 2522 2148

Duddell’s

Michelin-starred Duddell's selection of Chinese New Year puddings is a trio of classic favourite flavours: turnip (HK$348), taro (HK$348) and a "New Year" Pudding (HK$298). Pick up one, all three, or a gift set including the restaurant's signature X.O. Sauce. It's all packaged in a specially designed gift box created in collaboration with G.O.D. (Goods of Desire), with an ornate hand-drawn pattern typical of the embellishments found on Chinese teacups and soup bowls, a nod to its Hong Kong heritage. You can purchase at the restaurant or order online for delivery — find out more here.

We also love the look of the "Prosperous New Year Hamper", stocked with six traditional delicacies: a new year pudding; braised South African 5 head abalone with Duddell’s Abalone Sauce; a signature X.O. Sauce; homemade walnut cookies; Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin, Yellow Label Brut, Champagne; and Fook Ming Tong Fuding Jasmine Mao Feng Tea.

Duddell’s, 1 Duddell Street, Central; +852 2525 9191

Godiva

To no one's surprise, it's all about the chocolates at Godiva. The Belgian chocolatier has drawn up a new motif for the Year of the Tiger, auspicious red and gold packaging printed with swimming koi and a tiger portrait set amongst crackling fireworks as a symbolic image of wealth. For the chocolates, the bijou creations feature the same lucky tiger motif over the surface and are packed in three distinct flavours: Raspberry Orange White chocolate, Pecan Praliné Milk chocolate and 85% Dark Ganache chocolate. Order before 31 January to enjoy special offers including free gifts, including a complimentary box of chocolates, or 10% off any purchase of HK$688. Find out more and order here.

Godiva, various locations across Hong Kong

Little Bao

Little Bao is paying tribute to lucky colour red with a beetroot turnip cake, replacing turnip with fresh beetroot for a natural bold red cake. Ingredients include Sam Hing Lung rose wine sausages, Thai dried shrimp and natural seasoning for extra-healthy eating. You can also opt for the taro cake, made with Okinawan sweet potato and fresh taro for an extra soft and pillowy texture, and also to help boost the immune system. You can order them and more here.

Little Bao, 1-3 Shin Hing Street, Central; +852 6794 8414

Marco Polo Hongkong Hotel

Marco Polo Hongkong Hotel is celebrating the new lunar year with traditional Chinese recipes, serving up three classic puddings — a savoury Chinese Turnip Cake with Conpoy made from Chinese sausage and Jinhua ham; a sweet Coconut Pudding with Gold Leaf decorated with golden leaf glutinous rice and coconut milk; and a Water Chestnut Cake filled with crunchy water chestnut pieces. Bottles of homemade XO Chilli Sauce are also available to order. You can find out more here.

Marco Polo Hongkong Hotel, No. 3 Canton Road, Harbour City, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon; +852 2118 7283

Ming Court

Located inside Cordis, Michelin-starred Ming Court is offering an array of festive treats to ring in the Lunar New Year. Executive Chef Li Yuet Faat has prepared three auspicious puddings: a coconut Chinese New Year Pudding; an abalone, conpoy, and air-dried preserved meat and turnip pudding; and a red date and coconut pudding. Go for the deluxe Chinese New Year hamper, with a coconut pudding, homemade XO sauce, South African premium 12 head abalone and more. You can order it here.

Ming Court, Level 6, 555 Shanghai Street, Cordis, Mong Kok, Kowloon; +852 3552 3301 

Rosewood Hong Kong

Rosewood Hong Kong is offering an array of Chinese New Year sets for gifting, featuring everything from traditional puddings to homemade XO sauce, festive candies, afternoon tea sets and more. Don't miss the well-wishes themed hampers: Harvest (HK$9,988), Fortune (HK$3,388), and Joy (HK$2,288) — for every CNY hamper purchased, Rosewood will donate 5% of the proceeds to support ImpactHK and their work to support those experiencing homelessness in Hong Kong. Find out more here.

We also love the clever Chinese New Year advent calendar from Rosewood — rather than counting down, you count on from the first day of the lunar calendar into the new Year of the Tiger. The whole set holds 15 special treats from the hotel, one for each day of the Chinese traditional holiday that lasts for two weeks. Tug open the jewel-toned drawers to discover a selection of delicious snacks from fortune cookies and egg rolls to XO sauce, palmiers, nougats, ginger candies and crunchy peanut bites. Much better than your usual melon seeds. You can order it here.

Rosewood Hong Kong, Victoria Dockside, 18 Salisbury Rd, Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong, +852 3891 8732

Paul Lafayet

No crème brulée from Paul Lafayet this Chinese New Year. What you can get, though, is the patisserie's Lucky Tiger Gift Box with French illustrator Emilie Sarnel's hand drawing of two dancing tigers. The gift box set pulls open to reveal three different tiers featuring a whole afternoon experience: “Cookirons" — a cookie-based iteration of the brand's famous macaron; jasmine and hojicha tea tins with pots of honey in the second and a special fine bone china porcelain dish at the base to hold it all. The plate is specially tailored to the Year of the Tiger, featuring a sketch of two smiling tigers amongst a flowery meadow filled with macarons. You can order it online here.

Paul Lafayet, various locations across Hong Kong

Saicho

So this might not fit into traditional Chinese candy boxes, but it will still sit very prettily amongst red-adorned decor around the home. For the Year of the Tiger, Saicho has launched a very special creation of only 900 bottles — Eight Immortals — featuring the special Dan Cong Oolong tea grown atop Phoenix Mountain's Tian Liao village in Guangdong. From harvest to roast and rolling, the Dan Cong Oolong leaves are looked after by a qualified tea master. The result is a fragrant blend that adheres to the leaves' distinct complexity: bright notes of ginger mango and tangerine that rounds into a bitterness, then herbal, the likes of anise, fennel and tarragon. With Eight Immortals' earthy savouriness, Saicho recommends pairing with traditional Chinese New Year dishes including Chinese steamed fish and tang yang (glutinous rice dumplings). You can shop Saicho's Chinese New Year selection here.

Smith & Sinclair

Candy box fillings will be extra exciting with the addition of Smith & Sinclair treats, they're made after your favourite tipples! The UK-based brand crafts vegan-friendly gummies — or "Edible Cocktails" — from anything, including classic Gin & Tonic to special concoctions like Passionfruit Mojito. For the Year of the Tiger, the brand has designed a special red, tiger-printed sleeve as a symbol of good luck and fortune. These can be fitted over any of Smith & Sinclair's nine signature sets, from spirit-based "Gin Obsessed" or "Tequila Time" to themed "Love Box" or "Night In". You can order and find out more here.

Sugarfina

Sugarfina's candy cubes are a delight, both to give and receive. For this Chinese New Year, the confectioner has crafted a series of Candy Bento Boxes for easy gifting (and enjoying!) — with anything from a single cube to a lucky set of eight, featuring the brand's sweet creations in fun, auspicious names. There's the Lotus Flowers flavoured with lychee, Tangerine Bears, berried-flavoured Royal Roses and Golden Pearls. If not for the sweets within, get this set for the beautifully artistic packaging: a hand-crafted shadow box of red and gold decor motifs of lanterns, flowers and a temple to mark new beginnings.

Sugarfina, various locations across Hong Kong

The Peninsula Boutique & Café

One of the traditional elements of the Year of the Tiger is the big cat's head, symbolising strength and good health. Inspired by traditional Chinese "tiger head shoes" worn by children, the Peninsula Boutique & Café is celebrating the new year with plenty of tiger head-decorated gift sets — you can hang the box up as a Chinese New Year decoration! Pick up the festive "Robust Tiger Gift Set" (with cookies, candies, chocolate, tea and more), and any of the Chinese New Year puddings. You can find out more here.

The Peninsula Boutique & Café, The Peninsula Arcade, Salisbury Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon; +852 2696 6969

Venchi

You may be spoilt for choice with Venchi's range of Chinese New Year gift boxes, but one thing's for sure: the range of lucky red and gold packaging all feature the Italian brand's signature 140-years, Piedmont Master Chocolatiers-approved sweets. Pick up The Chinese New Year Double Layer Hexagon Gift Box, an extensive collection of the brand's favourite chocolates: Cremini, Chocoviar, Truffles, and Dubledoni. Or consider the Chinese New Year Round Hamper, which features Venchi's latest creation Gianduja N.3 with Hazelnut, and is a close replica of the traditional chuen hup with the rounded exterior and organised sections within.

Venchi, various locations across Hong Kong

Yat Tung Heen

Led by celebrated chef Tam Tung, Michelin-starred Yat Tung Heen is celebrating the new year by bringing back its highly sought-after turnip pudding, classic Chinese New Year pudding and the restaurant's signature gift box (which includes housemade premium XO sauce, candied walnuts and hand-selected Ginseng Oolong tea leaves). And to minimise the environmental impact of the gifting season, each pudding is thoughtfully packaged in a 100% recyclable eco-friendly paper box. You can find out more here.

Yat Tung Heen, Level B2, Eaton HK, 380 Nathan Road, Kowloon, Hong Kong, +852 2710 1093

Ying Jee Club

Two Michelin-starred Cantonese restaurant Ying Jee Club is serving the finest delectable pastry duo, a savoury turnip pudding with conpoy and air-dried meat and a sweet coconut milk pudding with red bean and Ceylon tea. Both are handcrafted daily by executive chef Siu Hin-Chi, who has amassed 20 Michelin stars over the past decade alone — rest assured, the preservative-free puddings epitomise the highest standard of Cantonese cuisine in both texture and flavour. You can order in-person at the restaurant, or by calling 2801 6882 or emailing reservation@yingjeeclub.hk — find out more here.

Ying Jee Club, Shop G05, 107 & 108, Nexxus Building, 41 Connaught Road Central; +852 2801 6882

(Hero image courtesy of Yat Tung Heen, featured image courtesy of Duddell's, image 1 courtesy of China Tang)

The post The Best Chinese New Year Luxury Puddings & Treats appeared first on Prestige Online - Hong Kong.