For the First Initiative Foundation’s latest event, a fusion of French and Chinese gastronomy was as symbolic as it was flavourful
“If there is something the world needs in this day and age, it is hope,” said Michelle Ong, chairwoman of First Initiative Foundation (FIF), the charitable organisation that, since 2010, has supported the arts, educational initiatives and community welfare programmes in Hong Kong and beyond. Every year, Ong’s FIF events spotlight creative talents from the city and abroad, and bring together artists, musicians and culinary greats to create what Ong called “a melting pot of culture, creativity, passion and finesse”. Her latest fundraiser, titled Hope & Harmony, was a collaboration with the French May Arts Festival. It featured an elaborate meal prepared by some of the city’s top chefs—who collaborated on a special menu for the evening—followed by a performance by the pianist Niu Niu and cellist Laurent Perrin.
For the dinner, Ong brought together four leading names of the culinary arts to create a menu that played with the concept of French and Chinese fusion. The line-up featured Vicky Lau of Tate Dining Room & Bar (recently anointed with its second Michelin star), Maxime Gilbert of Écriture, and Maxim’s master chefs Wu Yuk Ming and Tang Leung Hung. The collaboration brought out the specialities of each chef—Lau’s knack for playing on textures and imagery, Gilbert’s finely honed French technique, Wu’s decades of barbecue experience and Tang’s delicate touch when it comes to dim sum—for a menu that told a story of mutual respect, collaboration and innovation.
“I wanted all our guests to experience the one-of-a-kind fusion of these two communities, bringing them together with the power of music and food,” said Ong. “The collaboration of all four chefs has been an eclectic mix of skills and creative ideas. This idea of appreciating our differences and celebrating our similarities is what Hope & Harmony is all about.”
A Tempting Trio
To kick off the meal, a platter featured quintessentially Hong Kong flavours with added French twists. Vicky Lau’s local crab tartlet with young pickled ginger was a beautiful canapé that combined two ingredients normally paired to achieve a perfect balance of ‘hot’ and ‘cold’ in terms of Traditional Chinese Medicine. For his contribution, Maxime Gilbert went for veal intestine—a lesser-seen but classic ingredient in French cookery—for the filling in his xiao long bao-inspired dumpling. The perfect folds in the dumpling came courtesy of Tang Leung Hung, a dim sum chef of more than 40 years. The final bite on the plate was Wu Yuk Ming’s barbecued suckling pig stuffed with minced prawn, a dish he described as a dying craft due to the tricky and time-consuming process of ensuring both elements are cooked à point.
See also: Chef Vicky Lau Launches Date By Tate, A New Gourmet Lifestyle Store