What does the post-pandemic future look like for the F&B industry?

House Stories: What does the post-pandemic future look like for the F&B industry?

Tatler and The Upper House invite you to join a panel discussion on what the future will look like for the F&B industry post pandemic.

Topics include the effect of labour shortages, supply chain issues, falling rents, ongoing border and social restrictions on local dining culture. The panel will discuss what’s happened as a result on locally sourced ingredients and talent, “booms” in cafes and sushi restaurants, and increased street-facing restaurants in previously unaffordable shopping districts.

In compliance with the recent update by the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD), gatherings of eight guests or more, irrespective of multiple table assignment must provide a negative RAT result, by way of photographic evidence detailing the person's full name and the date of test, obtained within 24 hours, or a negative polymerase chain reaction-based nucleic acid test (PCR) result issued within 48 hours prior to participating House Stories.

Join our speakers for an insightful and thought-provoking talk.

Speakers:

• Steen Puggaard, CEO, Pirata Group
• Heidi Yu Spurrell, CEO, Food Made Good HK
• Gavin Chin, Head Chef, Culture

Moderator:

Gavin Yeung, Senior Editor, Tatler Dining Hong Kong

***Limited tickets available, register early to avoid disappointment***

Speakers

Steen Puggaard

CEO, Pirata Group

Steen Puggaard was appointed CEO of Pirata Group in July 2022, bringing more than 25 years of experience in the F&B sector with leading blue-chip brands as well as local and regional start-ups in Asia. Puggaard, who has lived and worked across Asia since 1999, is based in Hong Kong and responsible for managing the restaurant group’s day-to-day operations as well as its local and international expansion efforts.

Prior to joining Pirata Group, the Denmark native was CEO of King Food Scandinavia with responsibility for expanding the Burger King master franchisee’s portfolio across Denmark, Norway and Sweden.

A strategic thinker with a strong track record of creating enduring profitable growth, Puggaard has leadership experience across the entire industry from individual mid-market and fine-dining restaurant concepts to brand-driven QSR/multi-outlet chains. He began his F&B career in 1996 as marketing director for McDonald’s and Burger King in Europe and Asia-Pacific before moving on to managing director at Singapore-based Les Amis Group.d active performance career, Mok currently serves as Director of Music and Artist Curation at jazz club Cafe Carlyle at Carlyle & Co, where she recently organised a diverse four-day jazz showcase “Cafe Carlyle & Friends” with 16 of the city’s top local bands and a vinyl market.

Heidi Yu Spurrel

CEO, Food Made Good HK

Heidi, CEO of Food Made Good HK, and Future Green Consulting has a diverse background in marketing, food strategy, analysis, food policy, and foodservice. She is passionate about supporting the Hong Kong food sector in its sustainability journey and accelerating the pace of change.

Heidi has previously lived and worked in London, Hong Kong, Tokyo, Rome, Amsterdam and Boston with various international organisations including the British Council, and Forum for the Future. She has a Masters in Food Policy from City University London and a Post Graduate Diploma in Research Methods from University College London (UCL). Under Heidi’s leadership, Food Made Good HK was proud to be a semi-finalist in the Rockefeller Foundation Food Systems Vision Awards for a more sustainable food system and successfully achieved a B Corporation accreditation for the social enterprise.

Gavin Chin

Head Chef, Culture

Restaurants have been a part of Gavin Chin’s life since birth. Growing up in his parents’ Chinese restaurants in Perth, Australia the kitchen has always felt like home. Cooking professionally since the apprentice age of 16, Chin's experience varies from fusion pubs to luxury hotels such as the Hilton and Grand Hyatt.

Arriving in Hong Kong in 2017, Chin fell in love with the city's diverse culture. While in culinary school in Hong Kong, he consulted as head chef for wine-forward neighbourhood restaurant, Brut, in Sai Ying Pun,

Chin stands for sustainability in the workplace and his purpose is to bring people of all cultures together, to inspire chefs and restaurateurs alike. Chin will be opening his new restaurant Culture in Tsim Sha Tsui in 2023.

Gavin Yeung

Senior Editor, Tatler Dining Hong Kong

Gavin Yeung is a Hong Kong-based writer and editor at Tatler Dining who has written across the realms of F&B, design, fashion and travel, with a focus on in-depth profiles and experiential features. Previously, he held editorial positions at Hypebeast, Soho House and Vogue Hong Kong. He’s also a keen photographer and aspiring home bartender, and is constantly thinking of original, Cantonese-inflected (and occasionally questionable) cocktails to shake up.

About House Stories

A partnership between Tatler and The Upper House, House Stories is a panel series first launched in 2021 that explores contemporary culture in Hong Kong and features conversations and interviews with experts and leaders sharing life lessons, anecdotes, and key information at informal monthly gatherings.

Remarks

All guests must fulfil the latest Government’s COVID-19 Vaccine Pass requirement for entry. Please visit The Upper House's website for the latest updates on COVID-19 developments and the Government’s quarantine measures.

In compliance with the recent update by the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD), gatherings of eight guests or more, irrespective of multiple table assignment must provide a negative RAT result, by way of photographic evidence detailing the person's full name and the date of test, obtained within 24 hours, or a negative polymerase chain reaction-based nucleic acid test (PCR) result issued within 48 hours prior to participating House Stories.