Moscow's leading molecular maestro, Chef Anatoly Komm
Hailed as one of the 100 best contemporary chefs by Ferran Adria, and with a restaurant ranked number 60 on the 2012 world’s best restaurants list, Chef Anatoly Komm has an impressive resume. Considered the pioneer of haute cuisine in Russia, Chef Komm reinterprets traditional Russian food with a modern and molecular take at his award-winning Moscow restaurant Varvary. This month, he brought his menu to Hong Kong’s Landmark Mandarin Oriental, taking part in a series of unique pop-up showcases, and we sat down with the chef for a quick chat about his passions and inspirations.
The man with the magic hands
A skiing accident almost two decades ago led him into physical therapy then down the footpath – literally. Since combining his latterly attained podiatry qualifications with his passion for quality and service, Bastien Gonzalez has left celebrities and civilians alike swooning over his tootsie-licious treatments. In Hong Kong to open his PEDI:MANI:CURE Studio by Bastien Gonzalez at the Landmark Mandarin Oriental Hotel, the metatarsal maestro sat down with LUXE to discuss his foot philosophies, heavenly Révérence de Bastien product range, and farming equipment.
The LUXElife Q&A
The chic and cheeky Sophie Labbé
Since 1993, Sophie Labbé has been creating stunning scents for the style set – she counts Givenchy Very Irresistible, Bulgari Jasmin Noir, and Yves Saint Laurent Parisienne among her many ultra-femme fragrances. We sat down with Sophie when she came to town to promote her latest, Signorina, for Salvatore Ferragamo. Boasting key notes of jasmine and panna cotta, with patchouli base and pink pepper top notes, Signorina was made for the young-hearted and what Sophie calls the “chic and cheeky”. We picked her brain for tips and tricks, what she loves in Paris and where she wants to go next.
The LUXElife Q&A
Mind if we ride with you, Ivanka?
Businesswoman, hotelier, jewellery, shoe and bag designer, daughter of The Donald and now mother to beautiful bub Arabella Rose, to say Ivanka Trump has a full plate would be like saying the Trump empire is a wee family business. We’re delighted Ivanka snuck us in for a Q&A, in which she names her fave facialist, tells us how she spices up a minimal travel wardrobe, and gives us tips for jetsetting mothers-to-be.
The LUXElife Q&A
Otis Batterbee
Gents, it’s not exactly breaking news, but travelling with your personal effects in a plastic ziplock absolutely will not do. To arrive looking sharp, you’ll need a decent neck pillow, eye mask and perhaps some dandy little pocket squares, on top of your grooming essentials. Here’s where Otis Batterbee comes in, with his range of elegant Made-in-England accessories and products, packaged in masculine pinstripe, tweed and checked motifs. Here, we get the inside scoop from the man himself on his travel discoveries and fantasies and tips for ensuring you always travel in style.
The LUXElife Travel Q&A
Hello, gorgeous
Who are you, and what are you wearing?
Grant Thatcher, Publishing Editor of LUXE City Guides – in this picture I’m wearing a William Cheng shirt and a rather natty summer suit I had made in Singapore for the princely sum of US$150. The tailor didn’t make it into the guide ultimately as the trews were a tad skimpy on the knackerage, but hell, for 150 sobs you can’t say fairer for a knockabout jack n’ slacks.
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