At the beginning of this yearโs Lunar New Year, a fortune-teller told Richard Ekkebus, culinary director of the Landmark Mandarin Oriental hotel in Hong Kong, that he would reach new heights in 2025.
This came as no surprise to the chef, who also happens to be a prolific mountaineer; at the time, he was already planning his next expedition. So, it was a pleasant surprise when new heights came in the form of a third Michelin star for his restaurant Amber, after 17 years of sitting on two.
To celebrate the occasion and to shine a light on his industry friends in Hong Kong, Ekkebus has launched a series of crossover products with gastronomic movers and shakers โ such as May Chow of Little Bao and Lorenzo Antinori of Bar Leone โ that are being sold at the hotelโs grab-and-go concept, LMO Freshly Baked, and will raise funds for charity.
One of Ekkebusโ most unexpected collaborations is with Danny Yip, owner of acclaimed Hong Kong restaurant The Chairman. The duo have created a series of East-meets-West lunch items, including Sichuan spicy peppercorn beef pie; lotus root and celtuce salad with pine nut dressing; and a char siu sauce chicken thigh sandwich with caramelised onion.
Proceeds from the series will go to Mindset, a Hong Kong-based charity that supports mental health โ something that is close to Ekkebusโ heart.