Urban farmer who set out to make dining more sustainable in Hong Kong on bringing the ‘magical’ taste of fresh produce to the city
- Jessica Naomi Fong of Common Farms is on a mission to bring nutritious herbs and greens to tables across Hong Kong, and teach people about using fresh produce
- ‘I just want to represent Hong Kong,’ she says of Common Farms being named among 50 global young change-makers by the World’s 50 Best Restaurants committee
From experimenting with growing tomatoes on a 400 sq ft plot of land on Hong Kong’s Cheung Chau island to moving into a brand new 9,000 sq ft (840 square metre) indoor space in Kwun Tong, East Kowloon, Jessica Naomi Fong’s urban farming journey is now bearing some serious fruit.
Over the best part of three years, her company Common Farms has evolved from being a curious side project to an influential part of the culinary network in Hong Kong. Not just a small business that sells microgreens, delicate edible flowers and leafy vegetables, the organisation represents a new way for the community to engage with the food that they eat.
The work put in by Fong and her team of three has long been recognised by customers and advocates, but finally their mission was put on the world stage when Fong – and Common Farms – was named among The World’s 50 Best Restaurants’ new crop of “50 Next” change-makers.
The second edition of the list, announced at a live event in Bilbao, Spain, on June 24, “features 50 bright, young humans who are changing the world of gastronomy in unique and interesting ways”. Previously, Hongkongers Kisum Chan (based in London, in the UK) and Adelaide Lala Tam (working in Rotterdam, the Netherlands) have been featured on the list for their culinary contributions.
Fong is the first Hongkonger living and working in the city to receive the honour, but was too busy transitioning the Common Farms headquarters from Tin Wan to Kwun Tong – within the span of two short months – to attend the awards ceremony in person. The team officially moved into the new unit the same day the list was announced, and it has been a whirlwind since.
