Food Hero Tuesday: Angie Palmer of From the U.S. to Hong Kong

Angie Palmer

Note from the Editor: Every Tuesday, TFT HK will bring you a post or article from/about one of our local or global food heroes. These are people who inspire us, and whose visions align with the values that TFT espouses and promotes. This week's post is an interview with Angie Palmer, creator of the vegan lifestyle blog From the US to Hong Kong. Angie works in communications for GR8 Leisure Concept, and also manages to find time for acting, modeling, and writing projects outside of her blog. Angie, we at TFT HK salute you!


Hey Angie! Thanks for chatting with us today. Tell us about yourself!

I'm the Director of Communications for GR8 Leisure Concept, which specialises in the investment, development and management of hotels, restaurants and serviced apartments. We focus a lot on fun and unique concepts like boutique hotels and specialty restaurants. On the side, I do acting and producing for films and other creative projects.

Before moving back to Hong Kong, I ran a boutique PR firm that worked with indie filmmakers, creative entrepreneurs and non-profit organizations in the U.S. My specialty is in online marketing and social media, so naturally social networks and blogs are among the tools in my social toolbox. What made me start blogging was actually my job as a reporter and producer for a local website and TV station in New Mexico. I decided to create original content and share videos and press releases so people in New Mexico could find interesting information and events. Now that I've become vegan, people kept asking me what I eat and where I shop in Hong Kong, so I decided to repurpose that blog into a green, health and vegan blog to share my stories and experiences. It's working out really well as people have been amazed at the number of restaurants where vegans can eat!

TFT HK Monday Update: Healthy Summer Dining Experience Launch!

Lovely HK food bloggers (from left to right):
Janice Leung, Ale Wilkinson, Patricia Li, Angie Palmer

Joining TFT HK on the launch: 

Janice Leung of www.e-tingfood.com 

Ale Wilkinson of www.dimsumdiaries.com

Patricia Li of gastronomicvoyage.wordpress.com

Angie Palmer of angiepalmer.wordpress.com

We kicked off our TFT HK Healthy Summer Dining Experience (HSDE) this past weekend by piling into a van with four of Hong Kong's premiere food bloggers and dropping by some of our lovely partner restaurants.  Genie Concept, Grassroots Pantry, Light Radiant Food, Mana! Fast Slow Food, Teakha, and the Flying Winemaker - among the 9 wonderful businesses that round out our August partners - supplied us with tastes of the TFT branded drinks/dishes, and chatted to us about their offerings.  Our partner restaurants care about their food's source and nutritional content, as well as the waste they produce. We're grateful to them and excited that they'll be joining TFT to help Hong Kong people be healthier, and to ensure that students in our partner schools in Qinghai, Rwanda, Uganda, Ethiopia, and South Africa receive nourishing school lunches. 

Food Hero Tuesday: Ale Wilkinson of The Dim Sum Diaries

Say hello to Ale!

Note from the Editor: Every Tuesday, TFT HK will bring you a post or article from/about one of our local or global food heroes. These are people who inspire us, and whose visions align with the values that TFT espouses and promotes. This week's post is an interview with Ale Wilkinson, the creator of the popular food blog The Dim Sum Diaries. A passionate foodie and avid blogger, Ale is also a PR and marketing executive. Ale, we at TFT HK salute you!



Hi Ale! Thanks so much for being with us today. Tell us a little about yourself! 

I’ve always been interested in writing. When I was young I used to write ridiculous fantasy stories and plays just for fun, and used to always say that when I was older I wanted to be a writer. However, when it came to choosing a degree, I opted for modern languages rather than journalism, and it took falling into a sales job here in Hong Kong (nothing to do with writing or languages!) to make me realise that I needed to follow my dream after all. With no real experience or qualifications, I decided the best way to go about it would be to start a blog, and of course I had to combine this with my other real passion: food. I’ve been writing The Dim Sum Diaries since March last year and absolutely love it. It has become a part of my life that I can also share with my friends and family. Although it does consume A LOT of my free time, at least I’m doing something I enjoy.