Celebrity chef Ching-He Huang helped raise more than £21,000 for the financial inclusion charity Guernsey Community Savings in a successful return visit to the island this weekend.
The money was raised at a spectacular gala dinner which she hosted at China Red on Saturday evening for 130 guests, featuring dishes such as local lobster with ginger and spring onion and stir fry fillet of beef with diced leeks.
Ching also held a ‘Chinese food on a budget’ cooking demonstration for crew members, parents and staff at Grow’s training cafe on Friday afternoon. Making good use of Grow’s fresh vegetables, she showed how to make her ‘Chicken & sweetcorn soup’, ‘Everything Chop Suey’ and a quick pickle ‘Pao Zao’ of cucumbers, strawberries and tomatoes.
Guernsey Community Savings (GCS) founder and chair Peter Neville said: “It was wonderful to welcome Ching back to Guernsey. Our gala dinner at China Red again surpassed all our expectations. Ching’s warmth and her enthusiasm and passion for great food and for our work at GCS made it an unforgettable event.
“It was a delight to work with Eddie Sum, China Red’s owner, on the event. The food and the service from his team were excellent.
“We are very grateful to Kirkwood Properties and Taylor Maritime Investments for their generous sponsorship, to Handpicked Hotels, the Liberation Group and Ravenscroft for their support, and to the local businesses which donated prizes for our raffle.
“It was also very special to introduce her to Grow for the cooking demonstration. We feel a real kinship with the work they do – as charities we’re both all about supporting people to play a full role in their local community.”
Ching said: “I fell in love with Guernsey when I came here last year to work with GCS, and it’s such an honour and a privilege to work with them again and to highlight the amazing work they do. Helping those who have fallen on hard financial times is a cause very close to my heart.
“It was a brilliant evening at China Red – thanks to everyone for wokking so hard and to all for coming, an amazing effort.
“It was also a privilege to go to Grow and experience the incredible work they do to create a nurturing environment for people with learning and other disabilities. We had a lot of wok puns and a great time together!”
Pictured: Ching-He Huang at Grow
