China Club is bridging my own personal nostalgia + traditions, and carrying them into present day. It’s honoring the history, pathways, struggles, + assimiliations, universal to so many; and the only real way to do that is to tell the stories. For if we don’t learn our family recipes, if we don’t excavate the history ourselves…then they will continue to dissipate + be forgotten forever. China Club is my humble offering to acknowledge those that built the land we walk on today, in each one of our cities. While I discover more of the past myself, I want to welcome you along, hold the door open, + show you parts of your own Chinatown, or even hometown, you never knew about. Because no one likes hearing about another mom + pop shop that’s been around for decades, serving the best rice rolls in town, which you’ve never had, and now never will…

It is the weekend ritual of my mom ordering us milk tea at the Chinese bakery on Canal Street. Soy sauce chicken at Big Wong’s, exotic fruit stands, and the unmistakable, intoxicating sweet aromas of fresh cast iron bubble waffles steaming from the tiny streetside carts, that my mom always said “yes” to.

The old coffee shop on the Bowery, that no longer exists - our customary stop after getting haircuts on Pell Street - that made fresh, warm softball size sticky mochi balls, dusted with coconut on the outside, sugar + crushed peanuts oozing from the inside - a visceral experience that never leaves you.

It’s me wandering through the colonial Hullett House in Hong Kong - also now defunct - late night, a few drinks in, and the ominous presence of those who came before, lingering + following me through the tall echoing courtyard.

It’s a Shanghai banquet evening turned techno escapade, a 1 am karaoke room in Seoul, soju bombs, dried cuttlefish snacks, and a tray full of fresh cut fruit, alongside your coworkers still in officewear.

China Club is my very best memories and so many I want to rediscover, embedded with colors, sounds + smells.

Meet me at the nightmarket. Come hungry, grab a glass, + ask questions later.

t’s about experience

Its about communicating a story that customers can feel part of. If you read that and find yourself pausing to think about it, it might be time to re-examine your guest experiences.

Here’s some of what I think make a good one

They leave with a story. Something that stands out from everywhere else they visited.

It can’t be something they were taught, it has to be something they feel a part of.

Different than any other alcoholic beverage, wine is about connection, fellowship, togetherness. In a market where people long for those things it seems like wine should be beating out every category, no?

Unfortunately tasting experiences have turned into a hyper focused sales pitch, and when we send wine club emails the language is all focused on buy buy buy, not how people can have an opportunity to open their wine with family or friends.

👍 we walked through the tank room, saw a punch down, felt the barrels the wine came from