4 Mins Read
Jan 2017 Update: Kee Club has now closed down.
Chef Roland Schuller has a lot to feel good about these days. The Michelin-star chef has recently become Executive Chef for KEE, where he has the rare treat of preparing two different cuisines every day: Chinese for lunch and modern European for dinner. He has also turned a new leaf- so to speak (!)- in the sourcing department. Through his collaboration with Dr. Andrew Lam, Chief Farmer and Founder of ecoFarm, Chef Roland is now incorporating organic fruits and vegetables into KEE’s dim sum lunch menu. Chef Roland became acquainted with Dr Lam through his colleague Umberto Bombana, of 8 1/2 Otto e Mezzo fame, and since then has been working with ecoFarm to source produce for KEE with emphasis on taste and nutrition. Chef Roland’s dedication to responsible sourcing is ardent: “I feel very passionately about raising awareness of the benefits of organically grown ingredients and steering people away from genetically modified food or produce grown in soil with toxic residues – especially when it is also so apparent that food cooked with organic produce is much tastier.”
Chef Roland has certainly found the perfect partner in the fascinating Dr. Lam. After his eyesight began to deteriorate and his career as an oncological surgeon was compromised, Dr Lam decided to make a big life change and used his newfound free time as an opportunity to learn everything he could about alternative types of medicine. He he studied holistic medicine in the US, Ayurvedic medicine in India, and Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) in China. Armed with this knowledge and the understanding of how important clean food is to a healthy life, Dr Lam realized that the next step on his life’s journey was to produce the highest quality organic fruits and vegetables possible. And so ecoFarm was born in the mountains of Jiangxi province in China. Dr Lam has been working tirelessly to develop new organic farming methods, such as netting that protects produce from insects without the use of pesticides and using ground pine needles to improve the soil used to grow carrots. He sources every plant seed from the geography the plant originated from like carrots from Afghanistan and tomatoes from Peru. Now ecoFarm is acting as an archetype for organic farms in the region with governments, universities, and NGOs seeking Dr Lam’s consulting services. Dr Lam also works with local doctors and their cancer patients, supplying them organic vegetables as part of their treatment programs. More than an erudite pioneer, Dr Lam is also a believer in giving back: 50% of all proceeds from ecoFarm are donated to the local neighboring communities in the Jiangxi province.
For the patrons of KEE, organic and responsibly sourced vegetables is just more icing on the gourmet cake. Already a unique establishment, KEE is now pioneering organic dim sum in Hong Kong with the launch of their new lunch menu. This is a huge win for the the healthy crowd as well as environmentally conscious diners, all of who can now swap out their questionably sourced dumplings for Steamed Seafood & Chive Dumplings, Steamed Vegetarian Dumplings, or Pan-fried Turnip & Conpoy Cake made with ingredients they can trust. Over the last few years, Hong Kong has seen an upsurge in organic dining offerings, but dim sum restaurants have been slow to adopt this new trend. With this new menu, it appears that KEE has added another cuisine to the growing list of green choices in our city.
KEE is a private members club located at 6/F, Yeung Kee Building, 32 Wellington Street, Central, Hong Kong. While dining at KEE normally requires a membership, interested parties are welcome to sample this new menu by applying for a temporary membership. For reservations and membership enquiries, call +852 2810 9000 or email gladys@keeclub.com.
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