The Great Farm Feast: Savouring The Earth — Sustainable Dining Reaches Celestial Heights

Taikoo Place has long been at the forefront of Hong Kong’s sustainable development — Swire Properties was the first real estate developer in Hong Kong and the Chinese Mainland to be endorsed by the Science Based Targets initiative, committed to achieving net zero emissions by 2050 — and Taikoo Place itself has spearheaded numerous sustainable initiatives, from The Loop recycling and rooftop farm, to our sustainable food market project Tong Chong Street Market.

On 2 and 3 November 2023, Taikoo Place presented Tong Chong Street Market's spectacular annual sustainable culinary event, The Great Farm Feast: Savouring The Earth – which this year, saw renowned international chefs Analiese Gregory and Luke Burgess fly in from the "bottom of the world", Tasmania, Australia, and join forces for two nights of fine dining with a distinctly local flavour.

When asked about the impact of sustainability in food, and the message he hopes to communicate through The Great Farm Feast, Luke says, "‘Sustainable’ is the bare minimum, it has to go beyond that – to realise that there’s so many components that go into getting food onto the plate; externalised costs, be that environmental or social, that need to be considered as part of that equation.” This meal is a great reminder that sustainability comprises not just environmental impact, but social and governance (that is, "ESG") too.

Chef Luke Burgess worked at some of the world’s most renowned restaurants before establishing his own multi-award-winning restaurant in Tasmania in 2011. He is currently designing a carbon-negative dining concept on his farm and sits on several boards that focus on regenerative farming and sustainable hospitality practices.

Chef Analiese Gregory is one of Australia’s best trailblazing young chefs. After swapping a dazzling career in Michelin-starred restaurants, Analiese relocated to Tasmania, where she headed up one of the state’s most acclaimed restaurants, published a book on wild food and now hunts, dives and runs her own sustainable farm.

Having identified the ideal curators in Analiese and Luke, this year’s landmark event – titled “The Great Farm Feast 2023: Savouring the Earth” – focused on the fact that Mother Earth is our one and only spaceship and that we should all be doing our best to protect her. With this theme in mind, ArtisTree, Taikoo Place’s iconic venue, was transformed into a stunning celestial “space centre”, with more than 160 guests embarking on a cosmic gastronomic adventure over two unforgettable nights.

By inviting the two chefs to pilot their spaceship, Taikoo Place underscores its commitment to the continued sustainable development of Hong Kong. The chefs were invited to bring their unique perspectives to the event, working closely with the city’s homegrown food producers to create a menu showcasing the very finest local Hong Kong ingredients – with a couple of surprising additions from back home in Tasmania.

Analiese explains, “I brought a few things, including pepperberries and Tasmanian wakame.” She clarifies that Tasmanian wakame is an invasive species that was originally introduced to the island in error; eating it improves the environmental conditions for indigenous plants to thrive. This fascinating detail prompted guests to consider the issue of sustainable eating from new angles, including the role that consuming invasive species – in this case, served alongside a delicious locally farmed grouper – can play.

Meanwhile, Luke was excited to incorporate locally produced honey with pink guava into his dessert, explaining that honey has the unique ability to bring out the subtle terroir of local ecosystems: “Lychee, longan and all the different flowers that each region have, determine the flavour of the honey. We have these tropical fruits in Australia, but not in the same way.”

The unique nature of the ingredients featured was a recurring theme for both chefs. As Analiese says, “We found this urban mushroom farm that takes waste like coffee grounds and sawdust from around Hong Kong and grows mushrooms on it,” adding, “When I use produce that is [well-grown], my job is so much easier. If you start with something that's really good, you don't have to do much to it.”

The Great Farm Feast: Savouring The Earth connected our guests to Hong Kong’s farmers through the inspiration of internationally-renowned chefs for an immersive evening that raised a toast to the city’s finest produce. We hope that, by celebrating the very best of Hong Kong-grown food, we can inspire our community to work together with us in protecting Earth, our singular home planet.