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Riding high on the success of her eatery, Shoku Japanese Binchotan Grill, restaurateur Elaine Yeh looks back on her F&amp;B years and shares her vision for the year to come&#8230;
<a href="//www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/gafencu-magazine-people-interview-feature-gmhk-Elaine-Yeh-february-shoku-restaurant-4.jpg"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-55819" src="//www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/gafencu-magazine-people-interview-feature-gmhk-Elaine-Yeh-february-shoku-restaurant-4.jpg" alt="gafencu magazine people interview feature gmhk Elaine Yeh february shoku restaurant (4)" width="466" height="700" srcset="https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/gafencu-magazine-people-interview-feature-gmhk-Elaine-Yeh-february-shoku-restaurant-4.jpg 466w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/gafencu-magazine-people-interview-feature-gmhk-Elaine-Yeh-february-shoku-restaurant-4-200x300.jpg 200w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/gafencu-magazine-people-interview-feature-gmhk-Elaine-Yeh-february-shoku-restaurant-4-186x280.jpg 186w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/gafencu-magazine-people-interview-feature-gmhk-Elaine-Yeh-february-shoku-restaurant-4-120x180.jpg 120w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/gafencu-magazine-people-interview-feature-gmhk-Elaine-Yeh-february-shoku-restaurant-4-400x601.jpg 400w" sizes="(max-width: 466px) 100vw, 466px" /></a>
Everyone is talking about your restaurant, Shoku Japanese Binchotan Grill. Why do you think that is?
Well, that restaurant has been running in Repulse Bay for more than six years now and I&#8217;ve been involved from the very beginning, from concept and design of the restaurant to its current day-to-day operations. Part of our unique offer is that we have the biggest open-fire binchotan grill in Hong Kong – it’s basically a barbecue pit, where we use only the highest-quality Japanese charcoal. It burns at a really high, stable temperature, which cooks the food slowly, infusing it with the beautiful aroma of the binchotan. We also serve a range of seasonal foods, so the menu is always evolving in line with the available Japanese ingredients and latest culinary trends.&nbsp;
<a href="//www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/gafencu-magazine-people-interview-feature-gmhk-Elaine-Yeh-february-shoku-restaurant-6.jpg"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-55821" src="//www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/gafencu-magazine-people-interview-feature-gmhk-Elaine-Yeh-february-shoku-restaurant-6.jpg" alt="gafencu magazine people interview feature gmhk Elaine Yeh february shoku restaurant (6)" width="466" height="700" srcset="https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/gafencu-magazine-people-interview-feature-gmhk-Elaine-Yeh-february-shoku-restaurant-6.jpg 466w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/gafencu-magazine-people-interview-feature-gmhk-Elaine-Yeh-february-shoku-restaurant-6-200x300.jpg 200w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/gafencu-magazine-people-interview-feature-gmhk-Elaine-Yeh-february-shoku-restaurant-6-186x280.jpg 186w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/gafencu-magazine-people-interview-feature-gmhk-Elaine-Yeh-february-shoku-restaurant-6-120x180.jpg 120w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/gafencu-magazine-people-interview-feature-gmhk-Elaine-Yeh-february-shoku-restaurant-6-400x601.jpg 400w" sizes="(max-width: 466px) 100vw, 466px" /></a>
Prior to working in the restaurant sector, how was your career taking shape?
While I studied statistics in college, I was adamant that wasn’t for me. After I graduated, though, my dad – a doctor by training, but with a very entrepreneurial outlook – was impressed by an age management clinic in Nevada and wanted to bring that concept to Hong Kong, as he looked to set up the city’s first age management establishment. The first years of my career, then, were spent trying to make that plan a reality.
When you’re young, you kind of feel free to jump around and try new things, so, after that, I decided I wanted to get into events planning. Soon after I got involved in that particular sector, I met my future boss at Nike, eventually joining him as part of the company’s events and marketing team. While I enjoyed the travel that went with the job, my greatest sense of achievement came from being part of the company’s 2008 Beijing Olympics team. Although it involved a very hectic schedule, I got to meet an awful lot of VIPs and it was just a fun, once-in-a-lifetime experience.&nbsp;
<a href="//www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/gafencu-magazine-people-interview-feature-gmhk-Elaine-Yeh-february-shoku-restaurant-3.jpg"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-55818" src="//www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/gafencu-magazine-people-interview-feature-gmhk-Elaine-Yeh-february-shoku-restaurant-3.jpg" alt="gafencu magazine people interview feature gmhk Elaine Yeh february shoku restaurant (3)" width="466" height="700" srcset="https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/gafencu-magazine-people-interview-feature-gmhk-Elaine-Yeh-february-shoku-restaurant-3.jpg 466w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/gafencu-magazine-people-interview-feature-gmhk-Elaine-Yeh-february-shoku-restaurant-3-200x300.jpg 200w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/gafencu-magazine-people-interview-feature-gmhk-Elaine-Yeh-february-shoku-restaurant-3-186x280.jpg 186w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/gafencu-magazine-people-interview-feature-gmhk-Elaine-Yeh-february-shoku-restaurant-3-120x180.jpg 120w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/gafencu-magazine-people-interview-feature-gmhk-Elaine-Yeh-february-shoku-restaurant-3-400x601.jpg 400w" sizes="(max-width: 466px) 100vw, 466px" /></a>
What then led you to join the F&amp;B industry?
Actually, I was set on getting into the wedding planning industry, but marriage and two kids kind of derailed that plan. It was around that time that my husband and his friend decided to open a restaurant in Causeway Bay. It was one of the first Japanese omakase restaurants in the city and I started off assisting them on – what was to me – the most fun part of the business, coming up with PR campaigns and marketing materials, while managing all the social media activities. Two years later, we decided to open Shoku. Soon after, I took over the business as my husband had a great opportunity to go back into finance. I thought, at the time, as my kids were older, I could step into his position. I didn’t, however, think I would get quite so heavily involved. Suffice to say, it’s been a huge personal learning journey.
<a href="//www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/gafencu-magazine-people-interview-feature-gmhk-Elaine-Yeh-february-shoku-restaurant-2.jpg"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-55817" src="//www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/gafencu-magazine-people-interview-feature-gmhk-Elaine-Yeh-february-shoku-restaurant-2.jpg" alt="gafencu magazine people interview feature gmhk Elaine Yeh february shoku restaurant (2)" width="466" height="700" srcset="https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/gafencu-magazine-people-interview-feature-gmhk-Elaine-Yeh-february-shoku-restaurant-2.jpg 466w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/gafencu-magazine-people-interview-feature-gmhk-Elaine-Yeh-february-shoku-restaurant-2-200x300.jpg 200w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/gafencu-magazine-people-interview-feature-gmhk-Elaine-Yeh-february-shoku-restaurant-2-186x280.jpg 186w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/gafencu-magazine-people-interview-feature-gmhk-Elaine-Yeh-february-shoku-restaurant-2-120x180.jpg 120w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/gafencu-magazine-people-interview-feature-gmhk-Elaine-Yeh-february-shoku-restaurant-2-400x601.jpg 400w" sizes="(max-width: 466px) 100vw, 466px" /></a>
You must have experienced difficult times along the way…
One I will never forget is Halloween night 2016. I was in Tokyo treating my father to a holiday to celebrate his birthday, when, suddenly, I received 13 resignation letters from the staff at our restaurant. It turned out our former partner had poached the entire team with the intention of opening another outlet in the same building. They had been telling our regulars that we were closing down and moving, and the whole thing was a nightmare. I ended up spending the rest of the trip dealing with the fallout, negotiating with staff and trying to keep the team together. The trauma of that will stay with me forever.&nbsp;
But there have been good times that made up for that…
Yes, when we closed the Causeway Bay restaurant in 2019, most of the staff came to Shoku with me. We tried to keep as many people as we could. That Christmas, they gave me a painting of a girl facing some mountains, with the name of our former restaurant embedded in the imagery. It really touched me and made me feel like we were all in this together. It still hangs on our wall to this very day.&nbsp;
Last year, in something of a pivot, you also launched the Polly &amp; Enzol ingestibles brand in Hong Kong. What was the thinking behind that?
Actually, I’ve always been into health and age management. As I said earlier, my first job after leaving college was setting up an age-management centre in Hong Kong. Part and parcel of this was the use of exercise, nutritional supplements and hormone management techniques as part of a three-pronged approach to age management.&nbsp;
As I’ve got the big “4-0” coming up next year, I thought it was a good time to look inwards, both physically and emotionally. As a result, I was consciously on the lookout for new opportunities within the wellness industry, which is when I came across the Polly &amp; Enzol product range in Bali. Basically, they’re ingestible supplements manufactured by a Taiwanese company. Prior to formally relaunching them in Hong Kong, I’ve rebranded the range as Polly &amp; Enzol.&nbsp;
<a href="//www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/gafencu-magazine-people-interview-feature-gmhk-Elaine-Yeh-february-shoku-restaurant.jpg"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-55823" src="//www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/gafencu-magazine-people-interview-feature-gmhk-Elaine-Yeh-february-shoku-restaurant.jpg" alt="gafencu magazine people interview feature gmhk Elaine Yeh february shoku restaurant" width="466" height="700" srcset="https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/gafencu-magazine-people-interview-feature-gmhk-Elaine-Yeh-february-shoku-restaurant.jpg 466w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/gafencu-magazine-people-interview-feature-gmhk-Elaine-Yeh-february-shoku-restaurant-200x300.jpg 200w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/gafencu-magazine-people-interview-feature-gmhk-Elaine-Yeh-february-shoku-restaurant-186x280.jpg 186w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/gafencu-magazine-people-interview-feature-gmhk-Elaine-Yeh-february-shoku-restaurant-120x180.jpg 120w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/gafencu-magazine-people-interview-feature-gmhk-Elaine-Yeh-february-shoku-restaurant-400x601.jpg 400w" sizes="(max-width: 466px) 100vw, 466px" /></a>
What do you see as some of the unique appeal of Polly &amp; Enzol?
Well, ‘Polly’ stands for ‘polyphenols’ and ‘Enzol’ is&nbsp; short for ‘enzymes’, and basically we harness the healing powers of these substances to boost overall health. Our star product is a lemon polyphenol concentrate, which we quadruple-ferment in order to release the active polyphenol and enzyme components, things that aren’t accessible when taken orally. This then aids in the rejuvenation of skin, while also helping to enhance the efficiency of the digestive system.
Although we’ve actually launched via Woman Boss [a Hong Kong-based online shopping platform] we haven’t officially gone mass-market yet. Right now, it’s getting great word-of-mouth, and hopefully, later this year, we can create a more formal structure for the brand and get into more retail outlets.&nbsp;
<a href="//www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/gafencu-magazine-people-interview-feature-gmhk-Elaine-Yeh-february-shoku-restaurant-5.jpg"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-55820" src="//www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/gafencu-magazine-people-interview-feature-gmhk-Elaine-Yeh-february-shoku-restaurant-5.jpg" alt="" width="700" height="466" srcset="https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/gafencu-magazine-people-interview-feature-gmhk-Elaine-Yeh-february-shoku-restaurant-5.jpg 700w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/gafencu-magazine-people-interview-feature-gmhk-Elaine-Yeh-february-shoku-restaurant-5-200x133.jpg 200w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/gafencu-magazine-people-interview-feature-gmhk-Elaine-Yeh-february-shoku-restaurant-5-421x280.jpg 421w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/gafencu-magazine-people-interview-feature-gmhk-Elaine-Yeh-february-shoku-restaurant-5-120x80.jpg 120w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/gafencu-magazine-people-interview-feature-gmhk-Elaine-Yeh-february-shoku-restaurant-5-500x333.jpg 500w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/gafencu-magazine-people-interview-feature-gmhk-Elaine-Yeh-february-shoku-restaurant-5-400x266.jpg 400w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/gafencu-magazine-people-interview-feature-gmhk-Elaine-Yeh-february-shoku-restaurant-5-600x399.jpg 600w" sizes="(max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px" /></a>
How have you come out of a turbulent 2020, and what lessons will you retain moving forward?
Even though last year seemed dire, it gave me the opportunity to look within, to slow down and have the time to focus on self-growth. I started to prioritise exercise, something that I now do every day. I also sought guidance from a number of life coaches as I looked to master time management and to untangle any unhealthy mental issues I may have had. Although, as yet, there’s no firm plan for the year ahead, these experiences have certainly helped me devise a blueprint for leading a better and healthier life.&nbsp;
Finally, if you won a US$10 million lottery prize tomorrow, what would be the first thing you would go out and buy?
I would invest in a farm or an orchard in Japan, perhaps somewhere in Hokkaido. That would allow me to become self-sufficient and perhaps even give me the opportunity to open a farm-to-table restaurant. That’s most definitely the dream.&nbsp;
Thank you.
&nbsp;
&nbsp;
Interview by: Tenzing Thondup 
Photos: Jack Law 
Art Direction &amp; Styling: Jhoshwa Ledesma 
Wardrobe: The Outnet 
Hair &amp; Make-up: Hoby Wong 
Venue: Shoku Japanese Binchotan Grill

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Pollymath: Elaine Yeh, operator of popular Shoku Japanese Binchotan Grill