Chanel Adams
Commercial director of Merchants of Pleasure Hong Kong and Bev&Beyond Bangkok; beverage concept architect at Doubleshot by Cupping Room, Hong Kong
At my high school, a small group of teachers chose a word for every senior right before graduation – mine was “risk-taker”. I didn’t understand where they were coming from. I had never gotten into trouble; I didn’t skip school and I was shy. Once I got to college, I began to understand why they gave me this label: I was endlessly curious about the world and I used every resource available to me to explore both people and places.
While at college, I joined the catering department for a job because of its flexible hours. Two years later I got a job at a super high-volume restaurant and worked in every front-of-house position except the bar. In the summers, I participated in various study abroad programs which brought me to Japan, Hong Kong and Spain. At that time, I fell in love with Hong Kong’s organised chaos and promised myself that I would move back if I ever had the chance.
After college, I spent about a year working at an engineering company as a project coordinator and quickly learned I didn’t want to work in an office full time. I had a long discussion with my close friend Sergius Verne (experiential marketing at Devils Backbone Brewing Company, Virginia) about what my next steps should be, and he convinced me to apply to Founding Farmers. Founding Farmers only hires candidates who have zero bartending experience and trains them through a month-long intensive program which is overseen by beverage director Jon Arroyo. I learned about 65 per cent of my bartending knowledge in those first few months. Over time I developed my own little bar family and one of my regulars recruited me to Barmini by José Andrés in Washington DC.
Working at Barmini was like getting to intern at Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory. I immediately purchased Liquid Intelligence and experimented with every technique David Arnold mentioned on my days off. I worked alongside individuals from around the world with the goal of creating an unforgettable experience for every guest who entered Barmini home. It was through one of these guests that I finally got the opportunity to go back to Hong Kong – I was offered the head bartender position at Happy Paradise, which at the time was the newest project from renowned chef May Chow. I kept my college promise to myself and lived my high school “risk-taker” designation, and moved to Hong Kong three weeks later.
My advice to those considering moving abroad to work in the industry would be to think about money. Do you have enough savings to move to another country? Are you far enough along in your career to successfully apply for a visa? Securing a visa requires you to prove that you have skills that are unmet by other citizens in that country. Finally, use your local resources to connect you to people abroad – the global f&b community is incredibly well linked and willing to help connect you with potential jobs.
Upon moving to Asia, something I’d always known became even more apparent: black culture here is portrayed almost exclusively through entertainment and media. Part of experiencing the world is understanding that there will be times that you look different from the local population of whatever country you are in, and this creates an inherent curiosity which can manifest itself in both positive and negative ways. As a black woman living in Asia, I personally have experienced the positive. I truly believe that the opportunities afforded to me in this country would not be accessible to me where I came from,
These opportunities exist for us in Asia as there is no one standing in our way because of what we look like. The only challenges I have faced so far have been more about me being a woman, rather than a black woman.
In my career so far, I have had three incredible mentors. The first mentor was Miguel Lancha, the cocktail innovator of ThinkFoodGroup, part of José Andrés’ company. I would use my days off to shadow Miguel and observe the various facets of his responsibility in overseeing 20-plus cocktail programs. My second mentor was May Chow, chef and founder of Little Bao and Happy Paradise in Hong Kong. May hired me because of my creative abilities and understanding of a high level of service, but I had yet to develop my own identity personally or professionally. Working with May inspired me to do things outside of my comfort zone, and she also guided me in developing my own personal brand by always making me feel supported in anything I wanted to pursue. My most recent mentor is Stephane Michel, owner of Merchants of Pleasure. Stephane is the most knowledgeable yet curious person I have ever met. Every day he shows me how to be diplomatic in business and in life. He even taught me who Bon Jovi is!
I’m really enjoying working with Merchants of Pleasure because of the focus on top quality products such as the La Maison du Whisky and Velier portfolio, plus a huge array of unique Mexican products and much more. I’m looking forward to expanding the development of the company across Asia, as well as new beverage concepts across Doubleshot and Cupping Room. You have to work with people you believe in because loyalty goes both ways, and I strongly believe that creating a family atmosphere in your venue is more effective than ruling with fear.
Throughout my career I have come across platforms and charities that have helped guide me through my international transition while keeping me in touch with home. Ashtin Berry (@thecollectress) is a key hospitality figure who uses her platform to teach others about the black experience in America. Her account allows me to also stay connected to the movement at home. Having been a DC resident, Black Lives Matter DC (blacklivesmatterdmv.org/fund-the-movement) charity especially matters, as DC has one of the highest crime rates in the US. Also, José Andrés’ World Central Kitchen (wck.org) charity does great work for the DC area, and globally. Barmini was my incubator, so Jose Andreas’ World Central Kitchen will always hold a special place in my heart.
