Celebrity Life

Born out of a passion for fashion, luxury and good deals (we're right there with you!), French entrepreneurs, and husband and wife duo, Delphine Lefay and Diego Dultzin Lacoste started OnTheList. The members-only concept is where flash sales meet high-end lifestyle brands for a unique shopping experience. Now in their fourth year since the launch, they have a huge 7,000 sq. ft. showroom in Central, over 150,000 members, and countless brands on the roster. We decided to catch up with the couple to find out how it all started and how they're doing now.

[caption id="attachment_192459" align="alignnone" width="1013"] Delphine Lefay and Diego Dultzin Lacoste started OnTheList in 2016[/caption]

Name: Delphine Lefay and Diego Dultzin Lacoste
Profession: Co-founder & CEO / Co-founder & CFO
Industry: Retail and e-commerce
Start up since: January 2016

Tell us about your business. What do you do?
OnTheList is a pioneering concept of members-only flash sales, offering members exclusive access to luxury brands at discounted prices, for a limited number of days. Members are invited by an e-mailed barcode to a specific location for the 3- or 4-day event. The company offers brands a sustainable option to clear past-season merchandise; turning old inventory into opportunity whilst simultaneously paving an additional channel to a wider consumer market.

What's behind the name, OnTheList?

It’s all about the concept of community and exclusivity. As our Flash Sales are for members only, the company name of OnTheList is linked to it. You need to register as a member to enter the in-store or online flash sales, so [in other words, you need to] officially get “On The List”.

Tell me about your best and worst day at work?

Our best day was back in 3 August 2016 when we had our 13th pop-up of Dr Martens Flash Sales. The company website crashed at midnight because too many people were trying to register as an OnTheList member. Then on the morning of the pop-up, there was a long queue with thousands of members waiting outside for the store to open. That was the first time, but not the only time. But it did prove that our business model would succeed!

During the working life, there is a mixture of good and bad news. And sometimes the bad news dominates. But so far (touch wood) we don’t have a day that we would consider as the worst day as we haven’t had any horrible news. On the contrary, we always see the opportunities in every crisis.

[caption id="attachment_192469" align="alignnone" width="985"] Members-only flash sales hosted by OnTheList[/caption]

What do you do when you’re not at work?

We enjoy a social life beyond social media. The support, the encouragement and the inspiration that we get from friends means a lot to us. So we like meeting friends when we’re not at work -- for food, for drinks, and just to be around them.

We are both quite outgoing people, Diego likes playing golf and I enjoy horse riding and yoga, whenever we have time. We also like hiking in Hong Kong and travelling around the world; our last trip was to South Africa during Chinese New Year. However, as we are always together, we often talk about work even when we’re not at work!

Looking back now, what would you have done differently?

Every step counts and we’ve taken each step as a lesson to learn from which ultimately brought us here. -- to where we are now. But looking back at the potential of OnTheList, if we had chance to do it differently, we would probably have sped up the development, and made it faster. For instance, we still had our previous jobs in the beginning, so to do it differently -- we would've quit earlier in order to focus on the business instead. Also, we took another 9 months of pop-ups in Hong Kong before we decided to settle down in a permanent showroom in Central. If we could do it again, we would not waited that long. However, there’s nothing 100% right or wrong, and we will never know what would've really have happened after these considerable steps.

[caption id="attachment_192466" align="alignnone" width="980"] Outside of work, Diego likes to play golf and Delphine enjoys horse riding[/caption]

What advice would you give to someone looking to start up?

1. Just do it! Never wait until it’s perfect, or otherwise you will never get started.
2. Then test it, test again and keep on testing.
3. Talk about it to people around you -- with as many people as possible. Their feedback will help shape your ideas for the better. You will also get inspiration every time you are presenting it.
4. Don’t be afraid of people stealing your idea, the chance is very low! One can steal ideas but no one can steal execution or passion.

As a child, what did you aspire to be?

Delphine: Lots of different jobs! Every six months I had a new aspiration.
Diego: I aspired to be an inventor. Like my great grandpa, René Lacoste [the French tennis player who also invented the tennis ball machine, steel tennis racket and is known worldwide as the creator of the Lacoste tennis shirt].

[caption id="attachment_192467" align="alignnone" width="1058"] The first permanent OnTheList showroom in Central on Duddell Street[/caption]

What has been your biggest hurdle, and how did you overcome it?
Generally speaking, working as a couple is amazing but it’s not easy every day. Everyone has his or her own way of doing things; mutual respect, communication, understanding and cooperation are key in this kind of partnership.
In terms of business, finding the first permanent showroom was one of the challenges for us. As OnTheList is quite a new retail concept in Asia and most of the landlords in Hong Kong don't accept our business model of both retail and events. In the end, it took a lot of time to find this showroom in Central. And even then, we needed to pay 3 months deposit in cash, so we had to raise some funds from friends and family.

Why did you start up in Hong Kong?
We were already working in fashion retail in Hong Kong. We had some problems with our stock and looking for a solution that can help us liquidate the stock, but we couldn't find any here. That’s why we decided to launch OnTheList. Also, Hong Kong is a dynamic city with strong growth prospects and it provides easy and welcoming business factors for a new start up company. The most difficult thing is the rent.

[caption id="attachment_192468" align="alignnone" width="1009"] Bonding with the OnTheList team[/caption]

What are your goals for 2020? And in the near future?
We are always working, looking to move and progress forward in order to manage and motivate our teams as young entrepreneurs. So we try to keep on learning; through reading, training, listening to podcasts. We love it, so it’s always a pleasure to try to be a better manager.
The direction for 2020 is to develop and consolidate our 3 permanent showrooms: Taipei, Singapore and Shanghai. And to pop up in other Chinese cities, too.

Another goal is to develop our e-commerce business in Hong Kong, and then launch it in Singapore, Taiwan and China.

How do you define success? Do you consider yourself being successful?
“Success” for us is a mix of personal and professional success. If we cannot find a balance between them, then we don’t consider ourselves successful. So far, professionally speaking we are proud of what we have built in four years because it has been based on honesty and trusted relationships with our partners, team, and suppliers. We believe that we have built strong foundations. Personally speaking, we have found a successfully good balance between work and personal life.

The post Startup Life: Delphine Lefay and Diego Dultzin Lacoste of OnTheList appeared first on Prestige Online - Hong Kong.

The Equestrian and restaurant entrepreneurs invited friends to dine on nosh from The Trophy Room at Castle Point Farm

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There is never a dull moment in Hong Kong’s dining scene. But what Vincent Mui realised was as vivacious as the F&B world is, and there was a hole in the industry he wanted to fill. So in 2015, the entrepreneur opened up Test Kitchen – a concept that literally brought the most talented culinary influencers right into the heart of the city.

Though only open for a few short years, his establishment has become one of the most watched (and booked) by foodies locally and abroad. With the likes of critically acclaimed chefs such as celebrity chef and Top Chef contender Kwame Onwuachi (USA), Ray Adriansyah of Locavore (Indonesia), Ben Spalding of The Fat Duck (United Kingdom), Andrew Walsh of Cure (Singapore), to upcoming pop-up crossover with Pablo Lagrange from Argentina, Test Kitchen has been the place to experience and experiment with international cuisines. We chat with Vincent to find out more about the business, along with his triumphs and challenges.

Name: Vincent Mui
Profession: Restaurateur
Industry: Food & Beverage, specifically pop-ups and events
Start up since: March 2015
Company size: Small

[caption id="attachment_190512" align="alignnone" width="1280"] Founder Vincent Mui and Head Chef Devon Hou[/caption]

Tell us about your business. What do you do?
Test Kitchen is a unique dining movement that invites chefs around the world (and occasionally from within Hong Kong) to cook the food they love and share their stories in four of five night pop-up dinners, usually running twice a month. Hong Kong diners are knowledgeable and open-minded about new tastes and experiences; they want to get to know our chefs and understand what drives them and their food.
Our beautiful two-storey street-level shop is located in Sai Ying Pun where we host our pop-up dinners. We also curate private events, including anything from sit-down dinners to cocktail parties. A new sector we are recently focusing on is Catering. We want to extend our culinary team to showcase their brilliant work outside the four walls of Test Kitchen.

Tell me about your best and worst day at work?
My best day at work is when both the guests and our team are really happy with how the event turned out. That can be nailing the dinner service on the first night of the pop-up to finishing a private dinner or catering event where we’ve surpassed all our clients' expectations.

My worst day at work is when the unexpected happens -- a stove breaks down or the oven doesn’t quite work -- you need to scramble to get things resolved immediately.

What do you do when you’re not at work?
I love to drive and every weekend I go out for a spin with my friends, come rain or shine. When I drive, there’s nothing on my mind other than the steering wheel, the 3 pedals, the shifter and the next corner.

Looking back now, what would you have done differently?
I actually have no regrets! I’m one of those people who believes that everything happens for a reason. So whether they are mistakes or good decisions, there’s always something to take from it. What matters most is that you are better than you were yesterday.

[caption id="attachment_190518" align="alignnone" width="1280"] Guest chef Pablo Lagrange adding the finishing touches to his dish[/caption]

What is a normal work day like?
Every day I take 30 minutes to think and strategise about what I need to do for the day ahead… and then I get on with it! There are so many elements, everything from liaising with new chefs we're bringing in to cook or dealing with local producers, to working on or finessing private events, or arranging wine pairings that will accompany our menus. There's never a quiet moment!

What advice would you give to someone looking to start up?
Follow your heart, and don’t be afraid of the unknown. My experience has shown that we all come across many different perspectives throughout our journey, and they can all teach us something.

What would you be doing if you weren’t doing what you do now?
I'd likely be working in a regular full-service restaurant. I think my love for this industry will always mean I'm in a place where good food is served and I am empowered to make guests feel good.

[caption id="attachment_190523" align="alignnone" width="1600"] Chef Krzysztof Czerwinski and Chef Phillipa Armitage-Mattin preparing for their four-hands collaboration[/caption]

As a child, what did you aspire to be?
I always wanted to become a race car driver. Maybe one day I'll be in the position to go racing and build a team from scratch!

What has been your biggest hurdle?
Striking a balance between pushing the culinary boundaries to meeting diners’ expectation, with culinary teams coming over to Test Kitchen from all around the world.

How did you overcome it?
Through time and maintaining a constant conversation between guests and chefs.

Why Hong Kong?
I’m born and raised in Hong Kong, my closest family is here, and this is my home. Hong Kong is also obviously an international city and a melting pot of all cuisines. I love how you can get a bowl of beef brisket noodles in a 60 year-old establishment, then go right next door to a hip coffee shop that could literally be straight out of Melbourne.

[caption id="attachment_190525" align="alignnone" width="1280"] A mackerel dish presented at a pop-up dinner[/caption]

If you were to invest in another start up, which would it be?
Technology. I’m the least tech guy going, but I’m fascinated by what it can do, and what it does for the world. It'd be great to be part of it and learn their business and trade by investment.

How hands-on are you?
Very -- and I love it. Especially the push during dinner service, the buzz of working with everyone, creating an event, be it a popup dinner series with an overseas team, a private dinner party for 10 or catering a wedding for 200 guests.

What are your goals for 2020? And in the near future?
To expand Test Kitchen's private events and catering sector, while continuing to invite brilliant international and local chefs to our kitchen, as well as find a way to contribute more to Hong Kong society.

How do you define success? Do you consider yourself being successful?
To be a good husband, father and son. To create a business that I can pour my love into that is both profitable and benefiting those who are involved -- and hopefully being able to inspire a few people along the journey.

The post Startup Life: Vincent Mui of Test Kitchen on His Unique Dining Movement appeared first on Prestige Online - Hong Kong.

This equestrian couple’s bond is destined to grow stronger as they canter into a new chapter

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Fresh off the plane from a week at Milan Moda Uomo, where he spent his days between shows and dinners with the likes of Sylvia Fendi, Daniel Lee and Isabel Marant, and then a couple days in Beijing tending to his various businesses, Oscar Wang arrives for our shoot on a Saturday morning in Hong Kong, on time, dressed discreetly in a beanie and trench coat, and ready to deliver. It’s difficult to imagine that Wang, all of 29 years of age, who now juggles a diversified portfolio of agency work, talent management, creative branding, a club in Beijing and restaurants in Shanghai, didn’t happen on his career until quite recently.
Known for most of his life as “the son of actress and acclaimed director Sylvia Chang”, Wang’s search for what he wanted to do took a little time. “I wasn’t an academically gifted student,” he says, laughing. Yet even at an early age and despite poor grades, Wang knew in the back of his mind that he wanted to be a businessman – and possessed an independence of spirit that allowed him to forge a path of his own choosing. After what he describes as a particularly gruelling time studying at LaSalle, one of the best local boys’ schools in Hong Kong, Wang’s parents decided to move him to Yew Chung International School, where the academic rigour was less intense for both mother and son.
“I went there and life was much easier,” Wang says. “I was considered academically gifted at Yew Chung for three years. People thought I was a genius because it was so intense at LaSalle that my grades were amazing, I was so ahead. I didn’t have to study or anything. But it started showing after grade five.”
t which point, Wang took it upon himself to apply for boarding school at Cheltenham in England – and to both his and his parents’ surprise, he got in. The note of pride is evident even now in Sylvia Chang’s tone when she recalls her son’s proactiveness. “When he reached his early teenage years, Oscar began to focus a lot on his peer group, and it was around then that he decided he wanted to go to boarding school. So, I said to him, ‘If you can apply and get in, then you can go.’ And he applied and got in!”
For Wang, going to boarding school in England was a way for him to escape Hong Kong and its pressures, “I just thought Hong Kong was a little tiring,” says Wang when asked why he wanted to leave. It’s not necessarily surprising, given Wang’s background as the son of one of Hong Kong, Taiwan and China’s most celebrated directors of film, stage and television.

[caption id="attachment_188705" align="alignnone" width="957"] Outfit Brunello Cucinelli[/caption]

Of this, his mother says, “In the beginning, he wouldn’t tell anybody that I was his son. He didn’t like that. He didn’t want people to know him only as my son. He wanted people to know him for who he is. And I’d say to him, ‘Oscar, you have to accept the fact that I am your mother. And being an actor or a celebrity or whatever they call it is a fact. You cannot just deny it. It’s something you have to live with.
“As he’s grown up, he’s come to realise that it’s OK, because he now has confidence and has found something he’s good at, something for which people love him, like him, accept and admire him for, as Oscar Wang. And people now recognise him for his work, rather than simply as my son.”
“I can’t hide from it,” says Wang. “I tried to hide but that’s how people like to introduce me, so I’m used to it. I think that as long as I’m doing something good in life, there’s no shame in it. You can really work on your own path and now a lot of people call her ‘Oscar’s mother’, so it’s shifted in some sense.”
But Wang does credit his work ethic to his mother. “Her main influence on me was that of hard work,” Wang says. “When it comes to creativity, the details that she focuses on, what she’s trying to portray in a film, all of that she says has to come from the soul. It’s always about portraying the truth to an audience. It can be through any medium, in any shape and form, but it always has to be truthful.”

[caption id="attachment_188706" align="alignnone" width="957"] Jacket, top and trousers Brunello Cucinelli | Shoes Loro Piana[/caption]

Wang was made to go out and work from a young age. “I always worked every summer and Christmas. My parents sent me to my aunt’s garment factory in Thailand when I was a kid, where we’d make T-shirts for big brands. I was quite young, so I didn’t really know what was going on, but I found it really fun. I’d tag the clothes and feel good because I knew I was earning money doing it.
“I also worked as a bell boy at the Grand Hyatt. I’ve worked at streetwear stores and was a personal assistant in Taipei. Usually it was a month or two, but working hard came easily to me. Being a bell boy was quite interesting, though, because it was in Hong Kong and I’d get recognised by uncles and aunties who’d tip me pretty well.”
Wang ultimately chose to attend the Chelsea College of Arts because of his gift in sculpture, a talent his mother only discovered when she saw one of his school exhibitions. “He was always very good at drawing doodles and I knew he had good taste, but I never really knew how good he was or what aspect of art he was talented in until he was in high school – and I saw that he’d created a sculpture,” says Chang. “I was amazed. Even in high school, the teachers told me that the only thing he could sit down, concentrate on and enjoy doing was art.
“So I then tried to persuade and encourage him to become a sculptor, but he refused!” she says, letting out a mirthful belly laugh.

[caption id="attachment_188709" align="alignnone" width="957"] Outfit Fendi[/caption]

For Wang, it was a period of soul searching. “I stopped sculpting when I reached Chelsea College of Arts,” Wang says. “I did the foundation course in the first year, where you’re encouraged to figure out your path, and I was really bad at that, so life became really party-driven and I figured I’d chill out and be a fine artist.
“Then one day, a tutor said to me, ‘Hey your grades are really bad. You should really figure something out that will make you more driven in life, something with some structure.’ So I chose interior spatial design, because there are deadlines and you had to pass your course according to a rubric. So I began shifting away from fine art and into design.”
From there Wang applied for an internship at the studio of Irish designer David Collins, where he was exposed to projects the firm was working on with Alexander McQueen, the Ritz Carlton and properties in the Arabian Gulf.
“It opened up my world in terms of how everything works differently for each client and how to adjust designs to suit specific requests. They also did a bit of furniture and small design pieces here and there, which really inspired me in terms of the breadth of creativity that was allowed in the luxury sector.”
Once the internship was complete, Wang intuited that a move to Shanghai would be his next step. “I felt that if I didn’t go back to China, I’d regret it in the future, to not have utilised our strength right now as such a powerful country,” Wang explains. “I meet everybody from around the world in Shanghai. They’re all somebody back in Europe and the world, but when they’re in Shanghai, they’re kind of in your territory and they’re willing to spend more time to understand you.” Initially Wang set up his own interior-design studio but two years later, in 2015, Apple acquired Beats by Dre and for a long time was looking for celebrities to feature in a campaign for China, but to no avail. Word reached them that Wang could help and a few phone calls later, Apple had its campaign faces. “My partner and I are well connected in the entertainment industry, due to our backgrounds, so we made it happen. And suddenly we realised, ‘Oh this is interesting.’ We didn’t realise this was a business – connecting celebrities with brands – and we started doing it more and more,” Wang explains.
“Basically every campaign, campaign shoot, spokesperson and face of a product launch was arranged by us. We started from there and slowly became an agency connecting brands with artists. Slowly we realised that not only did international brands need talent, but so too did national ones. Now we do KFC, Pizza Hut, Proctor & Gamble and even Unilever.”
From there, because Wang’s firm also handled payments for talent, he diversified and began managing talent. “We started with Natasha Liu, because she had a unique look and she could fight. That was how it started,” Wang says.

[caption id="attachment_188711" align="alignnone" width="957"] Outfit Fendi[/caption]

“Now, we have a supermodel and a young boy who’s still in training, but he’s doing more acting and a bit of singing. We’ve also signed on Kevin Hart, to help with his social platforms, and we’ve started trying to figure out and strategise how to bring Western talent into China.”
Due to sustained success, Wang closed down his design studio in order to focus solely on growing the business. But almost as soon as he did so, Fendi came knocking with a design project to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Peekaboo bag. Wang was invited alongside six other artists to design a special-edition Peekaboo, and has since become a firm collaborator with the Italian fashion house. This February, he’s launching Chinese New Year FenDidi animations alongside an installation in Taipei.
It’s a busy start to the year for Wang, who takes a frenetic schedule and constantly moving parts in his stride with a soft-spoken and calm demeanour. In between shooting his Prestige cover and the launch of the installation, he’s to fly back to Shanghai to check on his new ramen restaurant and oversee new flavours for Joe’s Pizza, a franchise he licensed from the New York original. How does he do it? “Just do it, don’t waste time and be curious,” Wang says.
For someone who insists that his academic career wasn’t spectacular by any stretch, Wang is now an avid reader. “I’m more conscious now, because there are so many elements of my business that can be affected by what happens around the world and I have a lot of partners who are well versed in what they do and are constantly sharing knowledge.
“Given that I’m in such a great position in terms of the creative businesses, as well as my other businesses, I need to upgrade myself so that when conversations happen, discussions are more fruitful – and being informed in an exchange really comes off better when you also understand what they’re talking about. That way, when you come in with your unique spin, people are guaranteed to love it. At the end of the day, we just want to make something exciting happen.”

Photography Karl Lam

Art Direction Sepfry Ng 

Styling Zaneta Cheng

Hair and Make-up Kidd Sun

Photography Assistant West Ng 

Styling Assistant Lau Bo

The post The Son Also Rises: Serial Entrepreneur Oscar Wang appeared first on Prestige Online - Hong Kong.

PBI chats with jewelry designer Isacc Levy on a few of his favorite things

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As it approaches a significant anniversary, the Preservation Foundation of Palm Beach renews its promise to preserve and progress

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In Prestige Online’s Getting to Know series, we ask our favourite personalities what they’re like outside of work — and get a little more personal.

The rising star of ABC comedy, American Housewife, Meg Donnelly is so much more than just a pretty face. The 19-year-old has already played as the female lead in Zombies, and recently released her singles "With U" featuring Fetty Wap, and "Digital Love", and there's no sign of her slowing down in the limelight. We get a chance to chat with the budding celeb to get to know what it's like outside of work.

What's the first thing you do when you wake up?

Get ready for work; brush my teeth and take a shower.

What's a normal weekend like for you? 

During the day, I hang out with my friends, go hiking, go to flea markets and the beach. At night, dinner and dance parties with my friends (and laughing is a must!).

 

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A post shared by trust (@megdonnelly) on May 10, 2018 at 12:42pm PDT

What’s your favourite emoji?

The blushing smiley face with three hearts around it.

What's on your playlist right now?

I listen to all kinds of music. I have an eclectic taste. There is a little bit of everything … to name a few -  The Temptations, Bob Marley, Neil Young, Angie Stone, A Tribe Called Quest, Bell Biv Devo, Drake, Luke Bryant, Sam Smith, Radio Head, Tori Kelly, Beyoncé…. the list goes on and on. I also like finding new artists and showing them to my friends.

Tell us something that not too many people know about you.

I speak Japanese!

 

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A post shared by trust (@megdonnelly) on Jul 3, 2018 at 5:07pm PDT

What’s a guilty pleasure of yours?

ASMR (Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response) videos on YouTube.

Have you ever had a fan-girl moment? If so, who was it?

Yes, Chris Hemsworth!  I melted when I met him!!

What's the strangest thing you've read about yourself on the internet? 

That I said David Hasselhoff was my favourite actor. I love SpongeBob SquarePants, so I guess they just assumed David Hasselhoff was my celebrity crush? But, it’s really Chris Hemsworth.

Do you consider yourself more of an actress or a musician?

Although I do play guitar, I don't consider myself a musician; but I do think of myself as a singer. I have been singing longer than acting, but I honestly can’t choose between the two. I love them both equally!

 

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A post shared by trust (@megdonnelly) on Dec 14, 2019 at 4:25pm PST

What projects do you have coming up that we should keep an eye out for? 

I am currently shooting Season 4 of American Housewife (it airs on the ABC Network in the United States and is available on Hulu). I am looking forward to the release of Zombies 2 this year – excited to share Zed and Addison’s continuing story. I just released my first album Trust and will be headlining a music tour this spring! I can’t wait to travel around and meet all the fans at my shows. This will be a new experience for me and I am beyond thrilled!

 

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To date, what do you consider your greatest accomplishments? 

I have been blessed, both professionally and personally, so it is hard to choose the greatest accomplishment, as they all are intertwined. But professionally, I think it was getting the role of Taylor Otto on American Housewife. I will forever be grateful for the opportunity.

The post Getting to Know Singer, Song-writer and Actress Meg Donnelly appeared first on Prestige Online - Hong Kong.

When it comes to one of the most consumed spirits in Hong Kong, it's safe to say that we're all familiar with gin. But no matter how enthusiastic you are about it, you will probably not be as dedicated as Dimple Yuen and Ivan Chang, the co-founders of local micro distillery, Two Moons Distillery. The first of its kind in Hong Kong, the duo craft their own artisanal spirit right here, quickly earning a name for itself as one of the most creative premium gins there are. Think crisp and citrusy aromas from dried tangerine peels, fresh lemon peel and pink peppercorn, along with a sweet, and nutty flavour on the palate from Madagascan vanilla pods and tonka beans. Taking top quality botanicals from around the world to pay homage to the cultural melting pot of this city, Dimple and Ivan have mastered the true spirit of Hong Kong. We speak to the gin connoisseurs to learn more about their craft and how they got to where they are today.

Name: Dimple Yuen and Ivan Chang
Profession: Co-founders of Two Moons Distillery
Industry: Gin Distillery
Start up since: 2019
Company size: 4

[caption id="attachment_184755" align="alignnone" width="1280"] Dimple Yuen, Co-founder of Two Moons Distillery[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_184756" align="alignnone" width="1280"] Ivan Chang, Co-founder of Two Moons Distillery[/caption]

Tell us about your business. 

DY: Two Moons is the first licensed microdistillery producing premium craft gin in Hong Kong. As we are both born and bred here and are avid gin lovers, we wanted to create a classic dry gin that proudly boasts an Asian flair to represent our roots.
IC: By establishing a distillery in the city that can accommodate [both] customers and visitors, we hope to inspire and share the beautiful craft of distilling with the people of Hong Kong.

Tell us about your best and worst day at work?

DY: My best days are the days I get to distill. It’s a chance for me to tune out from the outside world and it’s just me and our copper still, Luna. I get to be completely immersed in the distillation process without any distractions and I really love that. The worst days would be the ones when accidents inevitably happen and our gin ends up on the floor!
IC: My best day was when I saw the first drop of gin produced from our still, Luna, for the very first time. As it took us two years to get there, it was an incredibly touching and unforgettable moment.

[caption id="attachment_184757" align="alignnone" width="1280"] Copper still, Luna[/caption]

What do you do when you’re not at work?

IC: I love to hike and connect with nature to refresh my body and soul.

Looking back now, what would you have done differently?

DY: I wish I learnt distilling much earlier. I had no idea it was such a fascinating craft until I started to learn and appreciate gin.

What is a normal work day like for you?

DY: My mornings start with some admin and prep work before I start distilling around noon. From there, I perform regular quality control checks and monitor the entire distilling process from start to finish.

What advice would you give to someone looking to start up?

IC: Stay curious, be open to constructive criticism and don’t be afraid to share the knowledge.

What would you be doing if you weren’t doing what you do now?

DY: I’d probably be a digital nomad or a scuba instructor.
IC: I’d be continuing my passion in the hospitality industry.

As a child, what did you aspire to be?

DY: I had no idea to be honest!
IC: I wanted to be the best gamer in the world.

What has been your biggest hurdle?

DY: I’m an introvert, so I’m not always comfortable being in front of the camera.

How did you overcome it?

DY: I’m not sure if I have yet, but I try my best. As a female entrepreneur in a traditionally male-dominated industry, I feel it’s important to represent Asian women and that is what drives me to be more out there.

Why is Hong Kong an important market for you?

IC: As we are both born and raised in Hong Kong, we feel it’s important to represent our hometown. Though gin is traditionally perceived as an English spirit, we wanted to show people that we too can make a premium gin by including Asian botanicals.

If you were to invest in another start up, what would it be?

DY: As I used to be a programmer before becoming a distiller, I’d invest in something tech-related for sure.

What are your goals for 2020? 

IC: We’ve got a lot of creative ideas brewing for 2020! Since we are constantly experimenting at the distillery, you can expect some new flavours and distillery workshops in the coming year from us.

How hands-on are you?

IC: Distilling, bottling, labelling and sealing – everything’s all done by hand at the distillery so we are about as hands-on as it gets!

How do you define success? And do you consider yourself being successful?

DY: I’d define success as happiness and constantly achieving new personal goals, whatever they may be.
IC: I’d consider myself successful if I am able to be a positive influence to the people around me and spread a bit of joy and happiness.

The post Startup Life: Dimple Yuen and Ivan Chang of Premium Gin Two Moons Distillery appeared first on Prestige Online - Hong Kong.

In our latest travel series, we journey the world with some of our favourite frequent fliers — from Abu Dhabi to Zurich, Changi to Heathrow — to find out what they’re like on the go. Warning: travel envy ensues.

Name: Lindsay Jang
Profession: Entrepreneur
Passport: Canadian
Countries Visited: 29

Where was your last destination?

Ireland for Christmas and New Year’s visiting friends who have relocated there for work.

 

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Excited to see where 2020 takes us. Happy New Year everybody!!! ❤️ 🥂 💫

A post shared by lindsay jang (@lindsayjang) on Dec 31, 2019 at 10:30pm PST

What was the best and worst thing about it?

It’s my third time there in three years and I love everything about it. It reminds me of Canada — cozy, quiet, a little cold, and overall, super chill.

What do you never travel without?

My iPhone 11 ProMax

What’s your favourite travel ensemble?

Lululemon leggings, an oversized hoodie, and long socks. All in black.

 

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I actually came here just to wear winter clothes. @canadagoose #cgbranta

A post shared by lindsay jang (@lindsayjang) on Dec 2, 2019 at 5:40am PST

Where is your favourite hotel?

This is ironic, but my favorite hotel in the world is the Upper House. There is nowhere I’ve been that has the same level of personal service. Other favorites (in no particular order) are — Park Hyatt Tokyo, Hollywood Roosevelt, Santa Monica Proper Hotel, Grand Hyatt Seoul, and the brand new Equinox Hotel NYC.

Who do you normally travel with?

Alone, with my boyfriend, with friends, with my kids, for work, for fun; I will go anywhere to explore!

 

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Missing this Niseko vacay. And these two brats. @experienceniseko @theluxenomad @skyeniseko

A post shared by lindsay jang (@lindsayjang) on Apr 18, 2019 at 8:48pm PDT

What’s your favourite airline and why?

Cathay Pacific. They treat me well.

Tell us your most memorable travel story.

I don’t really have one specifically. I’ve been left behind on a Shinkansen platform in Japan, I navigated rural roads in Nicaragua before Google Maps existed, I ate chicken on a beach in San Sebastian and almost died of food poisoning while on a 10-hour bus ride back to Madrid.

Where is your favourite airport and why?

Hong Kong International Airport and/or Singapore Terminal 4. They are beyond comparison when it comes to efficiency and lounge quality.

 

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No tan lines.

A post shared by lindsay jang (@lindsayjang) on Oct 5, 2019 at 11:15pm PDT

Tell us how you would deal with jet lag?

Stay busy.

• What item(s) do you carry on and use in-flight?

iPhone, AirPods, sleeping pills, and a pen.

• Where are you off to next?

• Bali, Kyoto, Osaka, LA, Tokyo, and Bali again!

The post Travel with @LindsayJang appeared first on Prestige Online - Hong Kong.

December to May marks peak orange season in Florida, and locals can indulge in the Sunshine State’s juiciest delicacy

The post Meet the Grower Behind Fort Pierce’s Famous Orange Juice Company appeared first on Palm Beach Illustrated.

Is there anyone of note in the world whom broadcaster James Chau doesn’t know? That thought certainly crosses my mind during a wide-ranging conversation that takes us from his birth and upbringing in the suburbs of West London and culminates with his latest venture, the independent news platform The China Current, and is liberally sprinkled with the names of the great, the good and, occasionally, the not so good.
Not that one can begrudge Chau his high-profile friends and acquaintances, because he really is the most generous and engaging of people – the very qualities, in fact, that have made him such a successful and sympathetic listener. In almost 15 years of working as a news anchor with China Central Television (CCTV), he’s interviewed the likes of Jimmy Carter, Bill Gates, Christine Lagarde, David Cameron, Muhammad Yunus and Elton John, and it’s easy to imagine him reaching for his phone and calling any one of those individuals at any time he feels like it.
Not that he was destined for a life in front of the TV camera. In his teens, Chau – whose father was born in Hong Kong and whose mother hails from the Indonesian island of Sumatra – studied at London’s Royal Academy of Music and seemed headed in that direction, until that path was cut short by a severe car accident. “I was 16,” he explains in his plummy Oxbridge accent, “and we were driving down Langham Place, just past All Souls Church and the BBC, and just before the Chinese Embassy. It was right at the centre of that apex between religion, journalism and China, so maybe that was a sign of things to come.
“It was a very bad accident and obviously I went to hospital for quite a while. It’s a bit of a wake-up call at 16, because you start to wonder what path lies ahead and the choices that you have to make. Physically [the accident] was very damaging, so it limited my options, but at the same time it was this huge injection of ‘get on with your life and do it now’.”
The musical career forcibly abandoned, Chau soon found himself at Cambridge University, which he claims came as something of a surprise. “I grew up in a family where my father was very concerned about my education and my mother had no interest whatsoever in how hard we studied, which is not very Asian,” he says with a laugh. “When I was 18 and applying to universities, I think my parents were very, very worried that I wouldn’t get in anywhere, let alone a university that someone had ever heard of.” While a student at Cambridge, he dabbled in journalism as features editor of Varsity magazine, and received a further push towards his eventual calling when he interviewed Lord Snowdon, the famous photographer who was also known as the former husband of Britain’s Princess Margaret.

“How I got into journalism was partly through Snowdon’s great generosity,” Chau says. “I wrote to him, and the Varsity photographer and I took a train down to London. He’d built this little extension at the back of his house with a corrugated plastic roof so that the sun could come through, so as grand as he was, he was a man who really understood materials.
“He asked me, ‘What do you want to do?” and I said, “I want to be a writer – how do I become a writer?’ And he said, ‘Well, you just get up and write, and if you do that and if you want to do that every day, then you are that.’ And I said, ‘Well there’s a gap between that and becoming a professional writer, a writer of credibility and substance.’ And he said, ‘Well you find anybody and anything who will publish your work, and you do anything for it.’”
Internships at the Sunday Mirror newspaper and British Vogue followed later, but before those, Chau was given another nudge towards journalism when he visited Hong Kong in 1997. “I’d never seen anything like it,” he says “It was mesmerising – I saw my background passing over to the other, the British withdrawing and the return of Hong Kong to China, which we are, of course, ethnically. It had a tremendous impact on me personally – and later on Tung Chee-hwa happened to be the first politician I interviewed.”
The experience also helped the young British-born Chinese to begin working out who, exactly, he was. “For a long time, I thought you had to be one or the other,” Chau explains. “I always smiled when I heard people describing themselves as global citizens. But now I know that you don’t need to make that choice. The interconnectedness by which we live today presents itself as an opportunity to live in your way, so I always say I’m 100 percent British and I’m 100 percent Chinese and I’m 100 percent happy about it, and I hope I can use my life to do something that’s meaningful or has some purpose to it.”
Chau moved to Hong Kong in 2001 and worked for three years with TVB, which he readily admits wasn’t the happiest time of his life – in fact, he says, “it was very, very difficult. Hong Kong can be a very difficult place. When things are going well it reveals itself in all these wonderful spectrums but as soon as that shifts a great darkness can take over. I don’t think that’s unique to Hong Kong, but it’s what I experienced here for three years.
Not surprisingly, it wasn’t long before he decided to move on. “I wanted to be part of a global political centre – and that was Beijing,” says Chau. “It wasn’t about any fascination with China. I always felt a bit of a fraud when other people – and especially European friends – said they knew growing up that their life would be in China and that their work would take them to China. I never experienced this myself. If I’m honest, China – and being Asian – was initially part of the background rather than at the forefront. It was part of our lives, but not the whole part. My mother was a community social worker, my father was an engineer, we spoke English at home and we went to church, and this wasn’t typical of an immigrant Chinese family in London at that time.”

In spite of the fact that he spoke limited Mandarin and had next to no experience of living and working in the mainland, the move quickly turned into what he calls the time of his life. CCTV is, he says, “a vast human organisation. It was so different, because I was just one of 10,000 people. And at the same time, I was on camera and helping to present the news from China to the rest of the world. And that’s a huge responsibility. It was also incredible – over 10 years in the studio and interviewing outside globally.”
Perhaps even more important, Chau got to meet the world, interviewing political leaders and elder statesmen, businesspeople, humanitarians and entertainers for the Chinese broadcaster’s English- language viewers. Asked which of these extraordinary individuals impressed him most, the answer isn’t necessarily one that you’d expect.
“Most obviously,” Chau says, “I think of President Jimmy Carter, now because he’s so ill. I went to the house that his parents built in Plains in Georgia, the small town where he grew up. It was extraordinary to see this house, a simple, modest American home. It was Christmastime, and there was a very small tree standing on a hallway table, which was also in the front window – that’s how small the house was. And it really spoke to this family’s values – family, solidarity, loyalty, simplicity and a certain humility.
“I interviewed Carter twice and both times it was very moving, and I’ll tell you why. Because you’re talking about a 95-year-old person who’s enormously progressive and pushed the front lines of social and human progress far forward. He broke away from the Southern Baptist Church because of its stance on human rights and almost single- handedly he’s helped to eliminate guinea-worm disease, a neglected tropical disease that’s one of the most physically and mentally debilitating conditions impacting some of the world’s most fragile communities. How many people can say that?
“Carter has refocussed the fight against poverty, the income disparity between rich and poor. What more noble person can there be? And he’s so funny. He has this real glint in his eye, and he’s an extraordinary person. He still teaches Sunday school in the church across from the grocery store which his family once owned. He taught me how to be a good person.”
Unlike some TV interviewers, Chau won’t bludgeon his subjects into submission. “Whenever I do an interview,” he explains, “I always try to approach the subject as a person, to a person, and that’s how you extract the very best of them. It’s a very artificial environment because this is someone that you may have just met 30 seconds before, yet you’re somehow in a position with a mandate very gently to draw out personal and private aspects of their life. You’re able to do that because you give something of yourself.
“You can grill, but you grill in a certain way,” he adds. “It doesn’t need to be in a direct volley of questions. You go into an interview to listen as much as to ask questions.”
Now he’s embarked on The China Current with James Chau, which is described on its website as “a dynamic storytelling experience that brings you up close to the fascinating people who are shaping our shared global future”, Chau has the opportunity to concentrate on the subjects and the causes that are close to his heart. He’s passionate about the environment and is closely involved with the UNAids programme – and he was also appointed the first global ambassador for Tiffany & Co.

“The China Current is still very new,” he says, “and I was ‘terrified’ at the beginning, because in the first few weeks we had about 12 followers – and I knew 11 of them – but now after eight months we’ve over 300,000 followers on social media. For me that’s unbelievable, only it is believable because the stories and the people that we feature are really interesting. We just did a month about climate change with [supermodel] Doutzen Kroes, [former Irish president] Mary Robinson, [Nobel Prize-winning humanitarian] Muhammad Yunus and [conservationist and primatologist] Jane Goodall. They talked about climate change with linkages to migration, refugees, poverty and to the social upheaval that’s created by the enormous division that’s created in our society. Doutzen talked about elephant conservation, while Jane and Muhammad are able to unify those subjects and unpack them so that complex ideas become understandable realities. I occasionally spend time with him – I’m able to join him at different events during the year and it’s so interesting to see a Nobel Peace Prize-winner in motion. That prize was really the unleashing of a new chapter in his life and he’s as young as ever in his ideas and as innovative as ever.”

Chau is a Goodwill Ambassador for both UNAids and the World Health Organization. He sees a linkage between the response to HIV and Aids and that towards the more recent outbreak of Sars. “As a reporter,” he says, “I saw first-hand how quickly the fear of the unknown can grip an entire city and hold it hostage, because we didn’t know very much about it. And there were absolute parallels with HIV and Aids, where the first cases were out of San Francisco and New York in June 1981 ... [The experience of Sars] shows that HIV and Aids is not about the outcast, it’s about the centres of population, it speaks to mobility, because it crossed borders – and when I worked on Sars I saw how it had taken over not only Hong Kong but then began travelling because of mobility.”
Initially cautious about aligning himself with the fight against HIV and Aids in the relative conservatism of mainland China, Chau sought guidance from Betty Tung, wife of Hong Kong’s first Chief Executive, who encouraged him to be transparent about his work in global health. “Mrs Tung said, ‘In life, don’t hide anything, because people will wonder what else you’re hiding.’ She said I was doing nothing ‘wrong’, that there should be no secret nor shame, and she reminded me that the Aids response required the involvement of as many people as possible. This support encouraged me towards a life in public service.

“So, Sars led me to Aids and Aids opened up the whole world to me,” says Chau. “It shaped everything for me. I went to San Francisco when I started my global Aids work, because that’s where the global outbreak began in some ways, and I began meeting the people who were in the hospitals. I think more than anything it saved my life, because I’d been going through acute depression for years and Aids, which for so long had been seen as the disease of the dying, gave me an extraordinary new purpose in life, which was to join a coalition of people who were contributing to a fuller world. Aids liberated me, it allowed me to cultivate new friendships and it began to open the most unlikely doors. And, you know, if Peng Liyuan [the First Lady of China] can work as actively as she does in the global health response, then the future is really for us to shape.”
Chau waxes equally lyrical when talking about his relationship with Tiffany & Co. “I’d just interviewed President Carter,” he says, “and when the plane landed, I got a message on my phone asking if I would like to be considered becoming Tiffany’s first global ambassador. The fog of a very long flight suddenly lifted. I couldn’t believe it! It’s a house that I’d been working with, on and off, for say 15 years, mostly as a friend – I love the brand, but I particularly love the people and friendships within.
“Tiffany isn’t just about a big stone or a major high-jewellery piece. It’s also about art, design and innovation – you know, they discovered Tanzanite – and it’s about the humour of their window displays. As much as it’s about craftsmanship, important stones and exquisite designs, it’s even more about the social context, that people get excited by a blue box. It’s about love, and not just in terms of a Tiffany-cut diamond or engagement ring – they came out very gently but effectively on climate change at a very challenging time, and now there’s a very big move on sustainability, so that every stone you acquire from a Tiffany store can be traced right back to its source.
“As much as I love talking about the designs and the stones, because I have a great artistic interest, it’s also equally about where this fits into the map of humanity and is it just about luxury? It’s not. You know, Audrey Hepburn walked into a store and bought a telephone dialler – and I bet that you can walk on to their main floor on Fifth Avenue today and say, ‘I’ve got $60 and I’d like to buy a gift for my granny,’ and anyone there would take you by the arm and extract enormous joy from bringing you round to the counter. And I don’t think there are many brands like that, which are truly democratic, truly inclusive and really take joy from making your day the best it can possibly be.”
And Chau’s own goals, both through The China Current and his increasing involvement in humanitarian and environmental issues? “With the United Nations this year, we worked with Bill Gates, Angela Merkel – extraordinary people, and I’m not on their level,” he says, choosing his words carefully. “But I think that somewhere within that mix of work I may sometimes have something to say and maybe sometimes it has a little value to offer somebody else. I’d like to work more with youth, which I do mainly through [the UK-based non-profit organisation] One Young World, through UNAids and through the World Health Organisation, and I love working with and for the ageing community, but more listening to and learning from them. There’s no replacement for the experience and wisdom our elders offer us.
“But what I think I’d like to do with The China Current is to create a coalition of individuals who believe that the world must improve and are participants and not only observers in the solution. The human condition is what I think about all the time and I think that I was given an opportunity to do this through my work. And if I don’t take advantage of that I’d be very disappointed.”

The post Broadcaster James Chau on His Dual Identity and Self Discovery appeared first on Prestige Online - Hong Kong.