There’s often a misconception that eating well and eating sustainably means sacrificing on flavour or satisfaction, but with the launch of alternative proteins like Impossible Meats and the rapidly expanding healthy dining scene in Hong Kong, that couldn’t be further from the truth. A study by Green Monday earlier this year found that nearly a quarter of Hong Kong’s population practise flexitarianism, while vegetarianism is on the rise: these huge shifts in our diet and dining habits have been at least in part thanks to these Hong Kong entrepreneurs, who have taken their passion for food and wellness to create a combination that helps us all eat a little better: check out who you should know in Hong Kong’s clean-eating food scene.
Peggy Chan
Peggy sits at the helm of one of Hong Kong’s most successful conscious kitchens, Grassroots Pantry which will reopen on July 25th 2019 as the new plant-based dining concept Nectar. Aware of the decisions made as a consumer, she now makes it her mission to help others do the same. The plant-based eatery sources ethical ingredients and adopts an uncompromising approach to sustainability. Thankfully, going against the grain has encouraged others to follow suit in Hong Kong’s healthy dining scene.
David Yeung
The co-founder of Green Monday, David is a climate change activist through lifestyle and diet change. Under the Green Monday umbrella, which has taken off in more than 30 countries, David has overseen the launch of Green Common—a plant-based stores and cafes serving up vegan versions of classic dishes, such as spaghetti bolognese, ‘pork’ ramen, hot dogs and burgers, using protein-alternatives like Beyond Burger, Omnipork and JUST Eggs. Recently launched in Singapore and Taiwan, David is taking his mission for sustainable eating global.
See also: Mary McCartney On Meat-Free Mondays & Her Favourite Hong Kong Eats
Norma Chu
From a humble food-focused blog, Norma Chu (a former equities professional at HSBC) has grown DayDayCook into a hugely successful, bilingual e-commerce platform focused on healthy, traditional recipes made accessible to all through a series of videos and articles. With offices in Hong Kong and Shanghai, she now manages a team that have garnered over 200 million views each month.
Joshua Li & Pete Fisher
Life in hectic Hong Kong can make cooking and keeping a balanced diet difficult. Grab-and-go lunches are a common fixture of even the most health-conscious person’s diet. That’s where Joshua Li and Pete Fisher stepped in. The co-founders of Nutrition Kitchen, were struggling to find healthy eating options to suggest to personal training clientele, so they debunked the myth that fast food needs to be bad for you and set up a healthy ready-meal delivery service that appeals to office workers and gym bunnies, alike.
See also: 15 Healthy Lunch Spots In Hong Kong For Your Next Meal
Nealy Fischer
Nealy is a firm believer that clean living and healthy eating don’t have to mean sacrifices or buying into food fads. That was the motivation behind the launch of her website, The Flexible Chef. She provides free recipes and online videos and tutorials, and her blog contains all manner of lifestyle tips, ranging from beauty advice to practical information on parenting and travel.
Bobsy Gaia
One of the first people to bring plant-based dining to Hong Kong, Beirut-born Bobsy founded the vegetarian Bookworm Cafe on Lamma Island in the 1990s, and later launched vegetarian and vegan favourite MANA! which additionally focuses on sustainable diet change to reverse climate change. A supporter of all things eco-friendly, the MANA! brand continues to grow with a new location in Wan Chai opening this summer.
See also: 9 Healthy Hong Kong Brunches For Fitness Foodies
Cara McIlroy & Melanie Barnish
After relocating to Hong Kong from Australia’s Gold Coast, best friends Cara and Mel founded Genie Juicery, a brand of nutrient-boosting, flavour-packed juices that were one of the first pressed juice brands to delve into the wellness waters in Hong Kong. Model and writer Cara and company director Mel have both become mums since starting the company, balancing their passions with family life and their ongoing friendship—the success of Genie Juicery Speaks for itself.
Helen Sung
Helen is the founder of Hong Kong’s leading greengrocers, JustGreen. With eight stores scattered across Hong Kong, JustGreen offer customers a range of lifestyle products, from snacks and drinks to beauty products. The stores adopt an eco-conscious and sustainable approach, utilising recycled and natural packaging wherever possible.
