LIFESTYLE | HK food critic Walter Kei unveils France-themed photo exhibition

Chef Raphaël Kinimo (left) and Walter Kei (right)

Walter Kei’s career has taken many forms: from travelling the world capturing moments and writing, to designing interiors, and even to becoming one of Hong Kong’s major TV celebrity chefs and food critics… he’s done it all. Walter says that it’s because of his passions that the job – or should we say different jobs – chose him.
A photographer and foodie at heart, Kei designs interiors for a living now. To showcase his love of travelling and photography, Galaxy Macau has invited him to host a France-themed exhibition at the Ritz-Carlton Café between September 18 and October 18.
The Times took part in a media preview yesterday to learn more about Walter Kei’s exhibition, entitled “Réminiscence Moments à France.”
From Parisian brasseries to the landscapes of southern France and the vineyards of Bordeaux, Kei pledges to take us on a journey through his own experiences.
His career touches on a wide range of fields from journalism, to fashion, interior design, illustration and gastronomy.
It all happened fortuitously. Kei was studying fashion, clothing and technology at the Hong Kong Polytechnic when a teacher saw the photos he had taken, and encouraged him to sell them to magazines.
Relying on her encouragement, Kei sold pictures and wrote his first feature article in the late ’80s. “I was travelling a lot back then. And when I first thought of selling photos I wondered: why do I have to write too? But they told me: ‘Well because nobody knows what Budapest is like, or what Namibia is like’ he recalled.
Kei would later see his photographs published by renowned magazines including National Geographic.
While many people nowadays simply enroll in journalism courses, back then photography enthusiasts just continued travelling and seizing the moment. “Now people actually study journalism. I was studying fashion and I just started taking photographs, so I think the job chose me. I think because of my passion, the job chose me,” he added.
The same thing happened with food. As he travelled, Kei discovered another passion: cuisine.
“I like the idea of people getting together to enjoy food. People now don’t even bother with what they’re eating, especially in Hong Kong,” he recalled.
Kei believes that to some extent – and for far too many people – food has lost its meaning. But he warned: “Food is very important; it’s not just about comfort; it also brings happiness, it brings you family and friendship. It’s these kinds of aspects of food that I like.”
He never really considered holding an exhibition featuring his France-themed pictures but once he posted a selection of his photographs onto Facebook, a team at Galaxy got in touch.
“Some people at Ritz-Carlton saw the pictures. I came here to see the place and I liked it very much,” he recalled.
Mulling over his thoughts, he believed that pictures could be assembled both outside and inside the restaurant in order to create a gallery-like atmosphere.
Those having a meal at the Ritz-Carlton Café between September 18 and October 18, he said, have the chance to experience the essence of a quiet or bustling moment in Paris or in Southern France, or even to catch sight of Bordeaux’s harvest time – all through his black and white photographs.
Meanwhile, the Café’s chef de cuisine Raphaël Kinimo is preparing a menu inspired by Kei’s exhibition, featuring dishes such as a “sea bass in black & white.”
The exhibition marks the Café’s official opening.