On 2nd of September, r é n and Foodie will be hosting our first ever r é n In the Kitchen Charity Night, bringing together eight stellar chefs in our city to design one of the most anticipated menus of the year. With the event just around the corner, we sat down with Foodie co-owners Alexandra and Kieran to hear their thoughts on why they acquired the brand, why they think Hong Kong's culinary scene is so special, and why they've decided to collaborate with us on this charity dinner.

What drew your interest in the Foodie brand at the beginning?

Kieran: Foodie has a deep legacy in Hong Kong’s dining scene, and has been shaping the city’s culinary narrative for over 15 years. It is a brand that Alexandra grew up reading, so it holds a sentimental value for us as well. More importantly, it remains the definitive, foundational English-language media platform solely dedicated to the city's food and beverage industry - the last bastion of dedicated English-language food journalism in Hong Kong. We saw an incredible legacy that deserved not only to be preserved but to be fiercely championed. We wanted to protect its heritage while evolving its digital future.

And what spurred the decision for the two of you to take it over?

Kieran: Deciding to acquire a major publication was a massive, calculated leap for us. Our absolute priority was protecting Foodie’s editorial independence while building a world-class team capable of executing our vision. We hit the ground running by bringing on board a visionary Managing Editor like Rubin, and we were incredibly fortunate to retain Foodie’s long-standing Editor, Stephanie, ensuring a seamless bridge between continuity and innovation. We later welcomed a social media content wizard, Aiden, who has helped shape Foodie’s approachable and fun social media evolution.

Ultimately, this move was fuelled by pure, unadulterated passion. While we came from a tech and brand-building background rather than traditional publishing, leadership is about empowering people and driving a mission forward. We trusted that our deep, systemic love for the hospitality ecosystem would guide us.

Why do you think HKers love eating so much, especially eating out?

Alexandra: As someone born and raised in this extraordinary city, I am immensely proud of Hong Kong. It is the culinary capital of Asia - maybe even the world - a literal food paradise. We, who call this city home, are spoiled with an unmatched global density of Michelin-starred institutions, world cuisines, and generational dai pai dongs and local eats - right on our doorsteps.

In Hong Kong, dining out is part of the cultural fabric. We eat out more than likely any other place on earth. The sheer efficiency, relentless quality, and safety you can consistently trust across our restaurants create a lifestyle centered around gathering. Food is our universal language, and our city's fast-paced, high-energy environment makes the dining table the ultimate place to take a moment, connect, and celebrate life.

How has the journey been so far leading Foodie?

Kieran: It has been an eye opening experience full of learnings. We have successfully relaunched Foodie’s presence with large-scale experiential events. We have proudly restored the annual Foodie Forks Awards to its rightful place as the industry benchmark, backed by heavyweights like InvestHK and inline.

We’ve also broken new boundaries with major international entertainment partnerships. For instance, we collaborated with Disney+ to launch an exclusive, immersive culinary experience celebrating The Bear Season 2, bringing the heat of the television kitchen into Hong Kong’s real-world dining scene. Alongside these events, our newly expanded YouTube and multimedia content has unlocked new ways for our readers and audiences to consume food content in English in Hong Kong. It has been incredibly fulfilling to tell the wider stories of the hospitality industry, presenting the dedication of real chefs with a high-energy, entertaining, and narrative-driven edge.

What inspired Foodie to collaborate with r é n on this charity dinner?

Alexandra: Foodie has had a wonderful, long-standing relationship with r é n, and we deeply respect their foundational mission: to create real social mobility for underprivileged youths by placing them directly into world-class, professional kitchens. We wanted to pool our media influence and industry network to maximise that impact.

The hospitality sector in Hong Kong is incredibly tight-knit and generous. When we pitched the idea, the response from our chef community was overwhelming. We have managed to assemble a once-in-a-lifetime star-studded, elite culinary lineup. What makes this night profoundly special is that the foundation's youth beneficiaries will be working on the floor alongside these master chefs. It provides them with an elite showcase for their talent and opens doors to long-term career placements. We are all hospitality professionals at our core; we know this industry runs on heart, and this dinner proves that food can genuinely heal and uplift a community.

Why is it important for you guys and Foodie to support Hong Kong’s underprivileged and disadvantaged youths?

Kieran: The true feeling of success isn’t just about audience metrics or market share; it’s about being able to use your resources for good to move the needle on structural social issues. As leaders, Alexandra and I believe that Foodie’s massive reach comes with a mandate to drive corporate social responsibility. We have direct access to the city’s top employers and tastemakers, and it is our duty to leverage that network to create real opportunities for the next generation.

Alexandra: For me personally, social responsibility is an intentional, lifelong spiritual mission. I was raised in a traditional Buddhist household, and my faith shapes how I view my role in society. Buddhism teaches us the power of selfless giving and putting positive energy out into the universe without expecting anything in return. For us, using Foodie as a vessel to empower these youths isn't a transactional marketing campaign—it is our absolute purpose and a joyful duty to pay our blessings forward to our home city.

What do you hope this dinner will achieve?

Alexandra: Our target is to raise a substantial financial contribution that directly expands r é n's core operational capabilities to enable them to further the work they do for society. To make this possible, we’ve curated an elite live auction featuring rare, culturally significant treasures. For instance, my brilliant friend and celebrated artist Melissa Bui is creating a bespoke, one-of-a-kind art piece specifically for this event. She will also host an exclusive design workshop alongside Man Hong, one of the foundation's incredibly talented young beneficiaries. Additionally, we will be auctioning exquisite, traditional Cantonese Guangcai porcelain collections, making the night a beautiful intersection of high art, premium dining, and philanthropy.

Kieran: Exactly. The goal is to maximise the funds that the r é n Community Foundation can deploy to scale up their training infrastructure and help them provide to Hong Kong’s underprivileged youth. But beyond the single night, this is not a one-off corporate social responsibility tick-box for us. We want to establish a permanent, recurring framework. We are embedding this cause into Foodie's long-term DNA, ensuring a sustainable ecosystem of constant support for Hong Kong's youth.

Finally, what is your vision for Foodie in the near future? Where would you like to take the brand?

Kieran: Foodie will always be the ultimate cheerleader for Hong Kong’s unmatched F&B scene, and we only keep evolving and producing new content to show the world how exciting it is to dine in the city.

Concurrently, we are taking our content deeper into the bedrock of local culture. We have produced investigative, deeply immersive cultural series—from exploring the heritage of Tanka cuisine and documenting traditional offshore fishing to rolling up our sleeves to sell fresh produce at the historic Kowloon City markets. While incorporating an entertaining undertone, they are vital archives of Hong Kong's living history. Combined with our new high-profile celebrity lunch dates and lifestyle entertainment formats, we are successfully evolving Foodie from a traditional food publication into Asia's premier, multi-platform culinary lifestyle authority.