Hong Kong Just Opened Its First Plant-Based Culinary Arts Academy

Hong Kong has just welcomed its first-ever plant-based culinary arts academy, opened by Green Monday in collaboration with real estate giant Great Eagle Group. The new culinary school, tailored for restaurant chefs, hospitality professionals and caterers, will run educational courses on plant-based ingredients, cooking and dining to “inspire change across menus” in the city. 

A new culinary arts academy has opened its doors in Hong Kong—and this time it’s going to be 100% plant-based. Created by Green Monday, the group behind the world-famous vegan pork analogue OmniPork and Green Common vegan grocery chain, and Great Eagle Group, the conglomerate behind Cordis and The Langham hotels, the new academy marks Hong Kong’s first ever completely vegan culinary school.  

Mainstreaming plant-based dining in Hong Kong 

The aim of the project is to make sustainable plant-based eating mainstream in Hong Kong’s vibrant F&B industry. The first class, held on July 28, saw culinary, hospitality and dietetics students participate in a session on food production and agricultural resource use. They were then taught new innovative techniques and skills on how to cook and create dishes using plant-based meat alternatives, which are far more climate-friendly than animal meat. 

Globally, animal agriculture makes up around 18% of the world’s total GHG emissions, and is a major contributor to soil erosion, deforestation and water pollution. 

In future sessions, the Plant-Based Culinary Arts Academy will educate caterers, restaurant chefs and hospitality industry professionals about the use of more plant-based ingredients, creating plant-based menus and pioneering plant-forward dining in Hong Kong. 

Read: Why these Hong Kong restaurateurs are supporting regenerative agriculture

‘Changing our eating habits for the planet’

Great Eagle Group says that its initiative with Green Monday is a part of its broader sustainability plan with food at the heart of its approach. The real estate group, which runs multiple hotels and restaurants in Hong Kong and around the world, is now in the midst of revamping its menus with new plant-forward dishes in an effort to lower its impact on the planet. 

In Hong Kong, the group’s chefs have launched five new signature dishes across its restaurants, including T’ang Court at The Langham Hong Kong, Ming Court at the Cordis Hong Kong and Wanchai, and Yat Tung Heen at Eaton HK. These dishes, all 100% plant-based, will be taught over the course of the program and shared with the wider public via “Green Recipe Cards” distributed at all Green Common chains this month. 

“By partnering with Green Monday, the Plant-Based Culinary Arts Academy allows culinarians to master knowledge about plant-based diet and thus bringing more green diet options to the community,” said a spokesperson for Great Eagle, who added that the company believes that the academy can “gather the power of the public in changing their eating habits and work together to tackle the climate change challenge”. 

David Yeung, founder and CEO of Green Monday, says that the latest initiative aims to create a “ new dining and eating culture that can alleviate global crises including climate change, food insecurity and public health.” 

Read more about the latest in vegan dining in Hong Kong and around the world here. 

All images courtesy of Great Eagle Group / Green Monday.