LEGENDARY DUCASSE’S ANNIVERSARY

Not long ago, legendary chef Alain Ducasse’s Macau fine-dining flagship Alain Ducasse at Morpheus, City of Dreams, celebrated its first anniversary. Alain Ducasse at Morpheus – which is helmed by Chef Pierre Marty, who has been with Ducasse’s team since 2008 – pays homage to the great traditions and savoir-faire of French gastronomy and has been awarded two Michelin stars within six months of opening.

“Many of our chefs have worked with our brand all over the world, but some of them are working overseas for the first time. The diversity is what makes our team interesting. Some are French, some are from other countries, it is a mix of people with 15 to 20 different nationalities working together,” said Ducasse.

Mr. Ducasse brings his signature French cooking served in an inimitable contemporary style to diners who want to enjoy the unparalleled dining experience and ultra-luxurious settings and service he is known for delivering at his trio of three-Michelin-starred restaurants: Le Louis XV – Alain Ducasse at the Hôtel de Paris in Monaco, Alain Ducasse at the Plaza Athénée in Paris, and Alain Ducasse at The Dorchester in London.

A busy man with projects around the world, Ducasse manages his restaurants with a structure that allows creativity within a certain boundary.  “We give guidance to the team, as we specifically define items on the menu. When people feel comfortable in their functioning roles, they would purpose for me to try the dishes,” Ducasse indicated.

As he goes on to learn more about the world, he feels depressed of the fact that there is so much to explore during his lifetime, yet too little time is available. “I am obsessed with staying healthy, but as I travel I try a lot of different food. At times I eat too much. You cannot promote a healthy lifestyle to other people if you don’t eat healthier yourself,” he concluded.  Irene Sam

Wellbeing | Nature in Bottle

For anyone who is living in an urban environment, chances are one never gets in touch with nature and is constantly exposed to chemicals. When it comes to beauty products, individuals often believe that effectiveness always implies that a cream or lotion has to have some man-made active ingredients in it, but the truth is, elements from nature can take care of our skin, only if you know where to look for them.

According to Kavita Khosa, Founder of Purearth, a skincare brand that only uses the purest of ingredients to nurture the skin from the Indian Himalayan Region, wild herbs and oils can get rid of many epidermal issues and have powerful antioxidative properties. Together with the wisdom of Ayurveda, ancient Indian methods of healing is also incorporated into formulations of Purearth’s products.

“If you compare Indian skincare routine with a Korean one, Indian skincare is a kind of ritual, and Koreans are all about regiments,” she comments.

Indeed, enjoying Purearth’s products is a journey of the senses. From the elegant glass bottles that the ingredients are housed in to the sumptuous texture of the oils and creams, everything melts onto the skin and leaves a beautiful, healthy sheen. One of the products that enchants both the mind and body would be the Himalayan bitter apricot oil that can be used on body, face and hair. Delightfully indulgent and light, it is cold pressed in a traditional wooden vat ‘ghani’ at source and has been known as a sacred remedy among generations of indigenous Himalayan women.

In the near future, Khosa says she is coming up with a book that teaches women and men how to make their own skin remedies and make up. “In my book, I have written about the history of kajal, a type of eyeliner that was mentioned in ancient texts, as well as how to make one’s own with ghee and other natural elements. I am also coming up with new formulations constantly just to try out. It is all very exciting,” she indicates.