BAR WORLD OF TOMORROW: STAGE TAKEOVER BY PERNOD RICARD POWERED BY FOOD MADE GOOD HK

Heidi Yu Spurrell, CEO of Food Made Good HK

Alex Ko from Tastings Group, mixologist extraordinaire 

SUSTAINABILITY INITIATIVES FROM BLACK SHEEP

During our discussion about “How The HK F&B sector is addressing sustainability?”, we heard first from Malique Goldin who shared some food waste and sustainable packaging initiatives from Black Sheep Restaurants and how they are pioneering a local reuse and return system.

Recognising the lack of reprocessing plants in Hong Kong, the group introduced tiffin boxes to certain restaurants to help reduce single-use containers – although Malique noted that these containers cannot accommodate all cuisines. Malique also shared some admirable initiatives introduced by chefs in the Black Sheep Group such as upcycling leftover ingredients from restaurants to create new dishes.

 

JIA AND THE ROLE OF TOP-DOWN INFLUENCERS

On the topic of curating a culture of sustainability in F&B, Germaine from JIA Group conveyed the importance of creating top-down influencers to spread the message far and wide. There were nods of agreement around the room with the importance of aligning values across teams to attain a common goal clearly resonating. Chefs are responsible for initiating changes –  from educating people on sourcing local ingredients to make high-quality food, to challenging misconceptions about the superiority of imported food.

INNOVATION FROM TASTINGS GROUP

Alex from Tastings Group shared cost-saving ideas such as coordinating kitchen and bar menus, optimizing waste reduction and upcycling leftover ingredients. The close proximity of bars and restaurants in Soho makes this very feasible. One interesting idea  proposed by Alex, suggested using dehydrated corn husks left over from restaurants to make disposable coasters for bars.

HEALING THE PLANET AT PENICILLIN

Agung and Roman, the brains behind Asia’s Most Sustainable Bar 2021, shared the story of how Penicillin was conceived. Seeing an opportunity for a sustainable bar in Hong Kong, they integrated sustainable design, closed-loop systems and local ingredients to revolutionize bartending. It was enlightening and inspiring to hear the lengths they went to – even making the tabletops at Penicillin from wood sourced from trees that had fallen during Typhoon Mangkhut.

Leon Navaretna, Project Manager of Sustainability and Responsibility, Pernod Ricard Asia (left), Roman Ghale, Co-Founder of Penicillin (middle), Agung Prabowo, Co-Founder of Pencillin (right)

Winners: Speciality Brand Ambassador Luca Andrei, at Pernod Ricard Hong & Macau (left) Heidi Yu Spurrell, CEO of Food Made Good HK (middle), Malique Goldin, Head of Partnerships of Black Sheep Restaurants (right)

Germaine Woon from JIA Group

HOW THE MANDARIN MARRIES SUSTAINABILITY & LUXURY

Does practising sustainability mean compromising on premium quality? Chef Richard Ekkebus takes a different view and talked about his mission to create sustainable luxury. The Mandarin’s acclaimed Amber restaurant has been leading the charge for a cleaner, safer, more equitable food system. For example, Richard mentioned how the restaurant was the first in Hong Kong to install Nordaq, a freshwater filtering and bottling system from Sweden that can provide both still and sparkling water – thereby eliminated the need for imported bottles.

 

A COCKTAIL OF IDEAS AT AN INTERACTIVE WORKSHOP

Last on the agenda was an interactive sustainability workshop which gave the audience a taste of The Bar World of Tomorrow training. Participants were divided into teams, then asked to discuss sustainable initiatives for bartenders and reflect on their feasibility. Ideas suggested including freezing avocado seeds to be used as ice cubes and using egg replacement ingredients in cocktails. Participants in this mini-workshop gained a wealth of knowledge on making sustainability fun and achievable.

The event concluded with Alex treating the audience to a mixologist demo in which he created a sustainable cocktail from rice and eggshells. He also shared tips on utilizing leftover rice to make fermented rice drinks such as shik-hye and amazake; and reusing eggshells to make eggshell shrubs for cocktails. The simplicity of these ideas was eye-opening and the simple steps for making eggshell shrubs were especially enlightening: simply boil crushed eggshells in water to sterilize, then add vinegar and allow them to ferment for a few days.

These actionable insights were well received by everyone present. In wrapping things up, Heidi observed that sustainability requires both small and big steps – and that where’s there’s a will, there’s a way. This illuminating and enjoyable event was clearly valuable for our partners and members. May it encourage greater commitment to sustainable practices in the local F&B industry and inspire innovation! Thank you again to Pernod Ricard Hong Kong and Macau, and Pernod Ricard Asia for making this event a great success!

Heidi Yu-Spurrell, CEO of Food Made Good HK

Chef Richard Ekkebus from The Landmark Mandarin Oriental Hotel