I have been passionate about trying new foods and beverages from a very young age for not just the experience but also the exposure to different cultures of the world.

After graduating from University, I worked at some of the world’s major hotel chains such as Shangri-La, Raffles and Fairmont in Manila. I moved from the experience in the kitchen to managing F&B outlets – first in Manila and then at the Fairmont in Dubai. Besides numerous other things, it taught me the importance of placing absolute attention to details.

While at Fairmont, one of my duties was to learn about teas and incorporate them in the F&B outlets. This included working with vendors to taste, select and negotiate on their tea offerings to the hotel. The education that this experience imparted has been very beneficial.

Growing up, whenever I would feel sick or be down, my mom would comfort me by preparing a warm beverage with leaves literally from her own garden. I learnt from this early experience and have always tried to increase my knowledge of teas, herbs and mixology by researching on my own and working with Tea Sommeliers. To take my experience further I traveled to Sri Lanka and visited tea farms. The simplicity of the art of tea combined with the care in which the leaves and process is handled, solidified my belief that I want to continue furthering my education and experience of tea.

I joined Pekoe because I firmly believe that specialty tea and its benefits are not widely known in this region. My goal is to work with the Pekoe team to provide high quality single origin specialty teas in this region. Through the process, I hope to become a tea expert and strengthen my knowledge of tea farming while contributing to the sustainability aspects of tea.

The opportunity to have more people enjoy and benefit from this humble beverage is such a rewarding experience.

Please come say Hello on your next visit to Pekoe.

My favorite tea at Pekoe: Dan Cong, Oolong
My favorite bakery item: Spelt Zucchini Cheese Loaf