https://www.scmp.com/rss/267366/feed Michelle Tchea is the founder of Chefs Collective and a specialist on luxury hotels and restaurants, having worked with some of the world's most exclusive properties. Her words can be found in CNTraveler, Architectural Digest, Time Magazine and the South China Morning Post. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Five years ago, I was driving from the French-speaking side of Switzerland to the German-speaking side and stopped in Lucerne to see what all the fuss was about. One of the 26 cantons in Switzerland, it is the most sought after destination in the country for Chinese travellers, according to the Swiss Chamber of Commerce. On paper, the city ticks all the boxes for Chinese visitors: the glistening Lake Lucerne; medieval architecture; easy access to mountain peaks, in this case Pilatus and Titlis;... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/travel-leisure/article/3206710/how-experience-switzerland-beaten-track-chinese-tourists-want-boutique-holidays-and-country-works?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/travel-leisure/article/3206710/how-experience-switzerland-beaten-track-chinese-tourists-want-boutique-holidays-and-country-works?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 16 Jan 2023 08:15:10 +0000 When it comes to European family holidays, it’s hard not to think of the cult film National Lampoon’s European Vacation (1985). For those who didn’t grow up in the 1980s or don’t find slapstick comedies funny, the movie follows Clark Griswold and his family on a chaotic tour around Europe. Like most family gatherings, tensions arise with each family member wanting to do something different and relationships are tested. As someone who plans her own yearly multigenerational family holidays to... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/travel/article/3199839/4-best-hotels-europe-family-holidays-perfect-everyone-kids-grandparents?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/travel/article/3199839/4-best-hotels-europe-family-holidays-perfect-everyone-kids-grandparents?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 18 Nov 2022 23:45:09 +0000 For some, hotels are little more than places in which to sleep and perhaps eat. But over the years, hoteliers have positioned their properties as places of wellness, culinary hotspots with Michelin-starred chefs, and even destinations for art lovers, with the walls of lobbies and guest rooms used as gallery spaces. Only time and fate, however, can bestow upon a hotel one sought-after attribute; not very many can be properly called historic. Such a property must not only be rich in history but... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/travel/article/3180002/6-historic-hotels-where-martin-luther-king-jnr-wrote?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/travel/article/3180002/6-historic-hotels-where-martin-luther-king-jnr-wrote?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 03 Jun 2022 10:45:24 +0000 Chinese foods often have deep roots in history and come with many stories (and myths) attached that have been passed down through generations. Lunar New Year celebrations wouldn’t be complete without longevity noodles and fish, for example.  June 14 marks yet another exciting food-driven holiday for not only Chinese people but Vietnamese, Singaporeans, Taiwanese and Cantonese people all around the world. You may perhaps already know that the reason we eat rice dumplings (aka zongzi) in summer... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/well-being/article/3136943/why-do-we-eat-zongzi-during-dragon-boat-festival-history?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/well-being/article/3136943/why-do-we-eat-zongzi-during-dragon-boat-festival-history?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 11 Jun 2021 23:00:00 +0000 The countdown has begun: it is almost Lunar New Year, which for many means counting down until the reunion dinner on New Year’s Eve. Lunar New Year traditions are rich in symbolic gestures and activities, and date back to rituals and customs from the Shang Dynasty (1600-1046 BC) more than 3,500 years ago. One such custom is to eat a feast on New Year’s Eve filled with lucky foods – a tradition well worth carrying on from one generation to another. Some may call it superstition, but for the... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/leisure/article/3121105/6-lucky-dishes-spring-festival-reunion-dinner-lunar-new?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/leisure/article/3121105/6-lucky-dishes-spring-festival-reunion-dinner-lunar-new?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 09 Feb 2021 06:00:06 +0000 Is food political? Absolutely. There are a total of 90 Michelin-star establishments in The Michelin Guide Hong Kong Macau 2019 guide alone, yet despite exceptional chefs like Chan Yan Tak of Hong Kong’s Lung King Heen receiving the coveted three stars, there are only a few dozen Michelin-starred Chinese restaurants anywhere in the world, most of them in luxury hotels. Another restaurant ranking, the World’s Best Restaurant list, includes just one Chinese restaurant: The Chairman, also in Hong... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/luxury/article/3108809/why-dont-more-chinese-restaurants-get-michelin-stars-after?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/luxury/article/3108809/why-dont-more-chinese-restaurants-get-michelin-stars-after?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 08 Nov 2020 04:00:11 +0000 Remember the “F” word? “Fusion” has come a long way, such cuisine having risen again to acceptable heights as young chefs combine their techniques with kitchen know-how passed down through the generations. Asian cuisine was at the forefront of the fusion revolution and has suffered from the association: “Yes, we cater to the fish eater, spag-bol-lover and even the vegan-flexitarian in your family, so please join us for a bad meal.” Food historians trace fusion cuisine back to the 1980s, and... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/food-drink/article/2112247/top-asian-chefs-making-fusion-food-fashionable?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/food-drink/article/2112247/top-asian-chefs-making-fusion-food-fashionable?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 22 Sep 2017 03:00:15 +0000 In downtown Vancouver, at the Boulevard Kitchen and Oyster Bar, executive chef Alex Chen is prepping one of the night's star dishes: roasted sablefish with gai lan flan, beech mushrooms, coconut rice and lemongrass vinaigrette. In Kitsilano, the western suburb known affectionately to locals as "Kits", chef and owner Curtis Luk hovers over his crew at the newly opened Mission, ensuring the tasting-menu dish Humboldt squid with bagna cauda comes out exactly as it should. On the outskirts of the... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/food-drink/article/1970376/meet-asian-canadian-chefs-shaking-vancouvers?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/food-drink/article/1970376/meet-asian-canadian-chefs-shaking-vancouvers?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 10 Jun 2016 14:20:46 +0000 As our biological clock counts down, it's difficult for even the most fearless junk food eater to ignore how his or her body reacts with time. The process of ageing can demand more than just changing your wardrobe and investing in expensive creams to hide inevitable wrinkles. What you put in your mouth can effect your health. Ruth Chan, research associate from the department of medicine and therapeutics at Chinese University, suggests that apart from adopting a balanced lifestyle and... https://www.scmp.com/article/981518/nature-takes-its-courses?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/981518/nature-takes-its-courses?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 10 Oct 2011 16:00:00 +0000