“Not everyone is going to grow up to be a performer so Kids’ Gallery is very much about creating a certain mindset,” Hotung explains over a leisurely lunch at Roganic.

“We try to keep track of our alumni and it’s fascinating how they’ve turned out. The other day I went to the dentist and this tall young man in a white coat says, ‘Hi Mrs Hotung. Do you remember me?’ He is now a certified dentist.”

Normally, the busy educator eats lunch at her desk. She also admits to a terrible eating routine. “I am really unhealthy. I have no breakfast, a small lunch and big dinners,” Hotung confesses.

“I love food but I’m not a foodie. I tend to get into a rut with restaurants and keep going back to the same places. It’s nice to have a reason to go to a new place. My husband is a good cook and we have a good helper but I cannot cook at all. I just eat.”

It’s no wonder Hotung is excited about a tasting lunch at chef Simon Rogan’s new restaurant in Sino Plaza, Causeway Bay, alongside the British chef’s experimental private room, Aulis.

The food might be modern British but the vibe says contemporary Scandinavian. There’s a forest of twigs on the ceiling, pots of herbs at the bar and the food is refined with minimalist presentations.

We start with a delicate pumpkin tart with pear, with a hint of bay leaf and a sprinkle of pine nuts. It’s followed with a “bread” course of Irish soda bread and butter imported from a small English farm. “This is a treat,” she says.

The Hong Kong-raised Eurasian businesswoman might have married into one of Hong Kong’s oldest and most storied families, but she has never basked in the society limelight.

She and her husband Michael rarely appear at balls. When she does show up, it’s in support of charities like Youth Diabetes Action, which Hotung founded for her daughter, who lives with type 1 diabetes.

Instead, she focuses on her family and business, turning Kids’ Gallery into one of the city’s largest arts education centres. And it continues to grow, with a branch opening in Shanghai next year. But Hotung isn’t expanding for the sake of it. Her mission remains to give youngsters an opportunity for self-expression.

“When I started, my kids were four and two. Now they are 27 and 24,” says Hotung. “I started mainly because I was a frustrated artist. Throughout my education, I did sensible things, got a sensible degree, an MBA, but I’ve always been passionate about theatre, arts and literature. I cannot do any of it myself but I wish I could.”

As she talks about local schools, Hotung tucks into a plate of grilled local vegetables including choi sum, Chinese broccoli and chive shoots topped with a Westcombe cheddar sauce and black truffles.

“I love the old-fashioned discipline and respect here. But I also love the idea of children being stretched. I remember getting frustrated in an art class my child was in. She had to paint an elephant.

“She took some orange paint and started, and the teacher said, ‘No, no, no. You cannot use orange for an elephant. They can only be grey.’ I thought there’s something really lacking in this education system.”

Before we can delve further into the subject, we’re distracted by sumptuous steamed cod with black garlic. Roganic’s farm-to-table approach to food is not unlike Hotung’s organic hands-on method when it comes to learning.

“On the one hand, overbearing parents insist on pressuring their progeny to become a prodigy (the kid is in kindergarten at age 2 and they ask, ‘When does the homework start?’). Other parents are such ‘helicopters’ – they do not let children work things out for themselves.

 “I recently learned a new term – snowplowing,” says Hotung. “These parents clear all the obstacles away from their children’s path. Helicopters just hover. Snowplows are more aggressive, and the kids end up spoilt and are unable to solve their problems. If you cannot solve your own problems, life will be awful. You do not build up resilience.”

Our main course arrives. The piece of slow-cooked duck with turnip purée, charred leek and spiced red vinegar impresses Hotung. It’s a hearty dish executed with finesse. “It’s substantial, too. It’s not fluff and foam. It’s proper food,” she comments.

Expounding on her thoughts, Hotung explains why solution solving skills are more significant than ever. “Genuine creative thinking is quite hard to find in Hong Kong.

“Previously, we were in an era where hard work counted for everything. Now, we’re in an era where innovation is important. But we still have parents who tell children who want to be web designers, ‘Are you sure you do not want to be an accountant?’

“Everyone is very skills-based and in the 21st century we talk about technology and teaching confidence, but at the base level, it’s about joy and creating something that makes children happy.” Speaking of happiness, we dive into dessert, a Guinness stout ice cream with burnt molasses. It’s very British and very satisfying.

Beyond corporate expansion, Hotung’s next big project is in June, to present a big time Tony-award winning musical through Face Productions, her performing arts arm.

“We’re getting more ambitious. In the old days, we put on Little Red Riding Hood. Now we’re putting on Titanic the Musical . We got the rights [from the Broadway production], we’ve been waiting for three years. It’s a different story than the movie so hopefully people won’t come expecting the Celine Dion song.”

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