Rania Hatoum is a bridal designer by day and the chef behind members-only private kitchen RH Fine Dining by night. She discusses balancing her two worlds
Rania Hatoum has built a successful career across two very different industries. The 32-year-old has become known for minimal, elegant, comfort oriented bridal couture as well as show-stopping dinner parties— businesses that are both growing as pandemic restrictions begin lifting and people can gather again. Born and raised in Hong Kong, Hatoum has an Egyptian father and a Chinese mother, former garment manufacturers who traded between China and the Middle East for more than 30 years before they retired. Hatoum credits her family’s business for introducing her to the fashion world, but has ensured her own career doesn’t simply replicate her parents’. After earning a degree in fashion and merchandising from The Art Institute of New York City and a certificate in textiles from the Istituto Marangoni in Milan, Hatoum undertook work experience with US bridal and eveningwear designer Anne Bowen, which inspired her eventually to create her own collection. “I knew immediately this was the industry I wanted to stay in because I wasn’t just creating fashion or dresses; I was creating meaningful pieces,” she said in 2019. Since Rania Hatoum Bridal & Occasions launched in 2010, Hatoum’s designs have appeared in high-fashion magazines and on bridal week runways across the world, and are sold at select boutiques in the US, as well as in her flagship showroom in Wong Chuk Hang. “Seeing a bride walk down the aisle in one of my creations brings me a lot of joy,” she says.
Hatoum has also always loved food. She learnt to cook while studying in New York, where her neighbour, a French retired chef, taught her his techniques. When property developer Jamie Lee, now her husband, worked in Tokyo between 2016 and 2019, Hatoum took the opportunity to spend as much time as she could in Japan and learn about its cuisine. After returning to Hong Kong, as the pandemic dawned, Hatoum dipped her toe into the dining industry by launching RH Fine Dining, a members-only private kitchen serving French-Japanese cuisine. “While most restaurants were closed, I was able to cook at my clients’ houses,” she says. When clients book a meal, they automatically gain membership to her dining club, which includes access to exclusive dinners. Thanks to word-of-mouth recommendation, she currently caters up to 20 times a month, including private celebrations for influential figures like Eleanor Lam and Andrea Wong, co-founder of M.int Academy music school. “Rania is incredibly innovative and her cooking techniques rival many Michelin-starred chefs, even though she is basically self-taught,” says Wong, whose family enjoys a meal by RH Fine Dining every month. “She even catered for my grandmother’s 88th birthday.” In February, Hatoum also launched Tarte, selling made-toorder caviar tarts in flavours such as black truffle and South African abalone.
