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Kate Whitehead

The wellness ritual you can’t live without?
I drop my eight-year-old son off at school just before 8am and go to House of Fitness, a boutique gym on Possession Street in Sheung Wan. I could go to a cheaper gym, but this one is between my son’s school and the office, so it’s convenient.
The most conversation-sparking object at home?
Roomba, our robot vacuum cleaner. We have one at home called Rob and another in the office called Bob. People always comment on Rob, whether he’s running over the dog or not doing his job properly.

A scent that immediately brings you joy?
Trudon makes a candle called Spiritus Sancti. It has a light incense smell and gives me the feeling of something old, magnificent and calm. It’s like being in a church.
Your favourite city and the first thing you do there?
Before we had our son, my wife and I often went to Chiang Mai. It’s an actual city, not a resort. I’m not a beach guy and it suited me. Chiang Mai is the farm of Thailand, where they produce all the fruit and vegetables. We’d get a tuk-tuk from the airport and go straight to have mango sticky rice.
An item you never travel without?
I wear a waist bag strapped across my chest. It’s a travel essential and I have it on all the time. I have different brands but I’m currently using a blue one from Mystery Ranch.

On your bathroom counter?
All my wife’s skincare. She lets me borrow everything and is happy if I want to scrub my face or use one of her anti-wrinkle miracle creams. She has an amazing foaming face wash from Xove, Transforming Supreme Cleansing Foam, which I like.
Always in your bag?
I always carry a magnetic battery pack for my phone. I’m using one of the fancy battery packs that can snap onto the back of your phone from Sharge.
The one item in your kitchen that you cannot live without?
I enjoy cooking. Since I’m Swedish, I make a lot of pancakes, which my son loves, and you definitely need a good turner. My wife keeps buying them for me and it’s become a bit of a joke.

Your favourite restaurant and go-to order?
Agora, a hole-in-the-wall Turkish kebab shop on Hillier Street, in Sheung Wan. It’s a family-run takeaway, and the sauces and everything are handmade. The owner is a really nice guy. I always order the falafel and you can see his finger indentations in them.
A film you wish you could experience for the first time again?
I found Christopher Nolan’s Dunkirk so engrossing. When I walked out of the cinema I could barely speak. The movie is quite calm, but there’s a lot of tension that builds up, with an air raid siren soundtrack that runs in the background throughout.
Something you collect, intentionally or not?
When I was about 12 years old, in the late 1980s in Sweden, I used to paint Warhammer miniatures. I got back into it two years ago with my son. It’s a black hole of money and time. I have an Ikea cabinet of my miniatures in our living room.
The most valuable thing you’ve ever let go of?
I was a shy, ugly teenager. I wore weird clothes and didn’t have a girlfriend, so I got into Star Wars. My bedroom was covered in Star Wars posters and over five years I collected lots of the toys and books. It was such a big collection that I went on television to talk about it. When some poor unfortunate girl eventually liked me, when I was 18, I sold my collection to a dad and his kid.

The last time you felt truly surprised (in a good way)?
My wife took me to The Aubrey at the Mandarin Oriental for my last birthday. We went through some thick curtains and down a passageway covered in paintings. The decor was fantastic as was the service and food. I’m not easily impressed but that did it. It was a mind-blowing surprise.
The height of luxury for you?
Health and free time. When you reach middle age, you don’t want to have a limp or bad eyes or cancer. You realise that if you don’t have your health it doesn’t matter how many Warhammer figures or millions of dollars you have.
Your idea of a perfect Sunday?
A family walk with our dog, Mei Mei, along the promenade from Deep Water Bay to Repulse Bay. Mei Mei is 12 and blind, and her back legs are paralysed so she is on wheels. She gets excited about that walk and ending up at Sip Song at The Pulse, where she might get some tasty snacks.

The last good cause you supported?
Last Halloween, when people bought products from my company, Tiny Island, we matched donations and raised HK$20,000 for Hong Kong Dog Rescue. We got Mei Mei from Hong Kong Dog Rescue.
The place you go when you want to feel creatively recharged?
As a creative person, I assimilate input from everything. I get it in equal parts from going to art fairs such as the Affordable Art fair to retail stores where you can see the ideas that are out there and how they package them.
The most indulgent purchase you’ve ever made … and any regrets?
When I get into something, I become very passionate about it. In my early years in Hong Kong, I bought a Vespa scooter and got carried away upgrading it. I spent so much on the upgrades that in the end it was undriveable because it wanted to go so fast. I also bought a couple of Harley-Davidsons, one of which was stolen. But I don’t regret those purchases. I don’t spend time regretting things.

A hill you’re willing to die on, however ridiculous?
I love salt licorice. If there was a plan to ban it, I’d be prepared to go into battle. In Hong Kong, you can buy it from the Swedish shop SverigeShoppen, which is available through HKTVmall.
The thing you secretly judge people for?
I definitely judge people on their inability to be kind and treat everyone equally. People who don’t hold the door open, say thank you or walk past someone who is struggling or has fallen down.
A small daily ritual that grounds or delights you?
Caffeine is essential. I have a Nespresso machine and drink Stormio Go, which is rich, strong and intense. I have three coffees a day and, in the evening, give me a beer.

Something that makes you nostalgic?
Ice cream, especially ice cream in a cone. I enjoy going to Messina. I’m a rum and raisin person, unless there is licorice, which there never is. Messina ice cream is very indulgent, with big dollops of mascarpone, biscuit and caramel.
An item of clothing you should get rid of but can’t?
My massive mustard yellow scarf that I’ve had for 10 years. My wife thinks it looks like a woman’s item of clothing. It’s so big it’s more like a cape. When I wear it I could be in The Lord of the Rings. But it’s so cosy and practical, I can’t get rid of it.
Something you learned embarrassingly late in life?
Just because I can make something, doesn’t mean I should. At the end of the day, you have to sell what you make. In the past, I’ve made snow globes and chopsticks and towels. It’s why Tiny Island is so eclectic. Many products later, I’ve learned to calm down and focus on what people associate with the brand – the prints and the memories based on neighbourhoods.
A hot take you believe in but don’t often share?
The Star Ferry is one of the most amazing things in Hong Kong and is so underappreciated. It’s still cheap and smells so nice. You can go first class and sit up front. During the pandemic, I paid for ads on Facebook to help save the Star Ferry and wrote to the government. I can’t believe I haven’t yet been on The Peninsula’s afternoon tea cruise on the World Star ferry – that’ll be my next birthday treat.


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Profile

Tiny Island creative director Alexis Holm opens up to PostMag

Alexis Holm, the creative director at Tiny Island. Photo: Jocelyn Tam

Alexis Holm’s dog, Mei Mei, with Rob, the Roomba vacuum cleaner. Photo: Jocelyn Tam

Cooking utensils in Alexis Holm’s kitchen. Photo: Jocelyn Tam

Holm’s go-to restaurant, Agora, a Turkish kebab shop on Hillier Street, Sheung Wan Photo: @agoratak/Instagram

A Sharge portable charger. Photo: Sharge

Sheung Wan White, by Tiny Island. Photo: Tiny Island

Salty licorice from SverigeShoppen. Photo: SverigeShoppen

Messina offers innovative flavours that are unique to Hong Kong. Photo: Messina

Wild Yeast, the Michelin-starred restaurant redefining Taizhou cuisine

Steamed donghai pomfret with chicken fat and hua diao rice wine served at Wild Yeast. Photo: Penn Wang

The kitchen at “Tai-French” restaurant Wild Yeast. Photo: Penn Wang

Cheese is grated onto wheat flatbreads to add a Western twist. Photo: Hei Kiu Au

Chefs Lin Zihan (left) and Xu Huaijin of Wild Yeast. Photo: Penn Wang

Aged threadfin fried rice, a collaboration dish from chefs Oliver Li and Lin Zihan. Photo: Handout

How this chef gives Shanghainese cuisine a Cantonese touch

Chef Edmond Ip’s latest venture is Shanghai Plus, where he brings a Cantonese sensibility to Shanghainese cuisine. Photo: Shanghai Plus

The dishes at Shanghai Plus contain no additives or artificial flavourings. Photo: Shanghai Plus

Pork ribs with aged dried tangerine peel in balsamic vinegar. Photo: Shanghai Plus

Chef Ip works his magic in the kitchen. Photo: Shanghai Plus

Xiaolongbao at Shanghai Plus. Photo: Shanghai Plus

Braised fish maw in clay pot at Shanghai Plus. Photo: Shanghai Plus

Sautéed crystal tiger prawn in chilli bean sauce with sweet rice wine. Photo: Shanghai Plus

The interior of Shanghai Plus. Photo: Shanghai Plus

The art of rice – and its connection to community

Monti Lai, Hong Kong environmental artist and farmer, at Hong Kong Arts Centre in Wan Chai. Photo: Jocelyn Tam

Two-year-old Monti (centre) and her family. She presented it as an artwork in an exhibition titled“ Inseparable “ while she was studying in the Hong Kong Art School. Photo: courtesy Monti Lai

Rocky Mountain goat in Glacier National Park, Montana. A young Monti Lai used to spend time in the park with a National Geographic photographer shooting pictures of the goats. Photo: Getty Images

Lai with her homage to the village farmers for the art exhibition MurMur of the Brick, Rurally Engaged Art, in December, 2019. Photo: Annemarie Evans

Art container project Beautiful Journey, Beautiful World at West Kowloon Cultural District. Photo: SCMP Archives

Lai plants rice in Lai Chi Wo, Hong Kong. Photo: courtesy Monti Lai

Exhibits in the  Art Container Project Beautiful Journey, Beautiful World by a group of artists including Lai, at West Kowloon Cultural District, in 2008. Photo: SCMP Archives

The art of the artichoke: the secret to cooking this amazing vegetable, prized for its versatility and complex flavours, and captivating both home cooks and Michelin-starred chefs

The artichoke is not strictly a vegetable but a flower, originating in the Mediterranean. Once prepared, it can be steamed, pan-fried, deep-fried or even eaten raw. Photo: Shutterstock

Artichokes Romana served at Paolo Monti’s Ama Ristorante in Wan Chai, Hong Kong. Photo: Handout

To the uninitiated, the humble artichoke can seem both mystical and intimidating. Photo: Shutterstock

Purple artichoke served with preserved black truffle, morel and Cébette onion at Amber in Hong Kong. Photo: Handout

Cynar is an Italian bitter aperitif made from 13 herbs and plants, predominant among which is the artichoke. Photo: Handout 

Roasted halibut with artichokes from Published on Main in Vancouver. Photo: Handout

Negroni made with Cynar. Photo: Handout 

Carciofini Alla Giudia is a favourite artichoke dish at Ama Ristorante in Hong Kong. Photo: Handout 

How Hong Kong’s egg and beef sandwich became so beloved and the best places to eat it

Sun Hang Yuen’s beef and egg sandwiches use fresh meat rather than canned corned beef. Photo: Sun Hang Yuen

An egg and corned beef sandwich at Australia Dairy Company in Jordan, Hong Kong. Photo: Joseph André

The mala egg and beef sandwich at Sun Hang Yuen on Yu Chau Street in Sham Shui Po. Photo: Edmond So

Calvin Chau (right) stands with his father Spencer outside Sun Hang Yuen on Yu Chau Street in Sham Shui Po. Photo: Edmond So

People queue to get into the Australia Dairy Company in Jordan. Photo: May Tse

Photos of Keung To adorn the walls at Wing Fat Restaurant in Yau Ma Tei. Photo: Instagram/wingfatdaily

Fung Chi-kin at My Cup of Tea in Wan Chai. Photo: May Tse

Coriander triple egg sandwiches at My Cup of Tea. Photo: May Tse

Guzzle’s scallion, corned beef and cheesy egg sandwich. Photo: Guzzle

PostMag

Culture

The Swedish designer and driving force behind Tiny Island talks kebabs, Warhammer and wearing weird clothes


The Swedish designer and driving force behind Tiny Island talks kebabs, Warhammer and wearing weird clothes.


.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}The Swedish designer and driving force behind Tiny Island talks kebabs, Warhammer and wearing weird clothes

.css-1mniedq{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;}The wellness ritual you can’t live without?

The most conversation-sparking object at home?

The Swedish designer and driving force behind Tiny Island talks kebabs, Warhammer and wearing weird clothes

The wellness ritual you can’t live without?