Tuesday, 24 August 2021

The Wellness Industry: Chef Arnaud Hauchon

In Ayurveda, its written in stone that the appropriate food, eaten correctly, nourishes the body, mind, and spirit. It sees food as medicine – the original integrative medicine for holistic healing process from one's core being, for essentially wellness. While reading this synopsis out to the nodding-in-agreement man, it was preaching to the choir as Chef Arnaud Hauchon, native of the Champagne region of France, based his entire food philosophy on 'food as medicine'.

The culinary director at Fivelements Habitat in Hong Kong, his menu is as nourishing as it is textured, colourful, vivid and delicious. He also eschewed the tired notions that healthy food is bland food. We took him out of his element for an exclusive photoshoot with The New Moon on a busy street in On Lan Lane, but spoke with him later, while he was walking barefoot in nature, somewhere in the trails of Sai Kung.

Read up on the good chef at The New Moon here.

All original pictures by Edwin Datoc. 










Sunday, 22 August 2021

The Wellness Industry: Fitness Influencer Keith Lee of 2 Percent Fitness

The multi-hyphenate Keith Lee is a lawyer by day, co-owner of 2 Percent Fitness gym by night and a fitness KOL (as we go to publication, a respectable 85k followers stalk his every post on Insta') in perpetuity on Instagram.

With a baby less than a year old, a demanding job, opening a gym during the thick of the pandemic while the government imposed debilitating restrictions on the industry, how Keith stayed calm during the financial maelstrom needed to be noted.

Read up on my chat with Keith here at The New Moon.

All original portraits by Edwin Datoc.





 

Tuesday, 17 August 2021

What's up Doc? Dr. Peter Duchemin


Dr. Peter Duchemin is a multi-hyphenate. Greater than the sum of his parts; an artist, magician, scholar, and Tarot reader, these are some of the arrows in his heavy quiver.  He's also a new father - his baby was born on the day of our photoshoot - and we postponed the session to a later date!   

With decades of experience behind him, this Canadian extract is the sort of pansophical being you want to have a warm brew and long ruminations with. Before you tilt your head with suspicion, he is a learned man, Duchemin holds degrees in Philosophy, Religious Studies, and Humanities, and a Doctorate in Interdisciplinary Studies (on the philosophy of magic no less!). 

We had so many questions, but only some of them we got to during our tête-à-tête.  

Check out my entire conversation with the good doctor at The New Moon here.

Original photography by Edwin Datoc


Sunday, 15 August 2021

The Wellness Industry: Malbert Lee


Hong Kong native Malbert Lee is one of many yoga teachers studded around the island with a passion for the meditative workout, but what makes him so uniquely popular in the city brimming with yogis is his practice of sound-healing. 

As a “sound-meditation facilitator,” he’s been covered by the media and has his own following for those who seek to vibe with him. Trained on different singing bowls with gong masters from Nepal, the UK, the US, Germany and Hong Kong, he is part of the calm in the cacophony of Hong Kong.  

Read up on my chat with Lee here at The New Moon

Portrait by Edwin Datoc

Sunday, 8 August 2021

Startup Life: Startup Life: Nicolas Pollet on the Evolution of CBD Beauty and Wellness



 

Earlier this year, while continuing his other enterprises, Nicolas Pollet surprised everyone by launching Anandha Wellness: a lifestyle product with the healing properties of cannabidiol, better known as CBD.

Read up on the feature at PrestigeOnline here.

One of the weekly online exclusive features I do for the site. 

All images by Hong Kong photographer Flossie Wong. 

Monday, 26 July 2021

Caturday: Billyjean tales mirrored on Lingvistov



Saw the above cartoon on Instagram. Could relate. 

Billyjean is a complete lioness... until a stranger walks in. 


 

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Friday, 9 July 2021

The Macallan and Bentley Motors Partner for a Sustainable Future


 

Collaborations have always been a great way to bring a new and refreshing perspective to more established brands, and this couldn’t be truer for The Macallan and Bentley Motors, who announced that they are joining forces to build their vision of a more sustainable future. Now, this is an initiative that we can get on board with.

Read up my first feature upon return at PrestigeOnline here.