With their wedding fast approaching, Sake Central's Elliot Faber and his fiance Tiffany Ung are selling sake to provide meals to Hong Kong's F&B community through their uplifting initiative, Kanpai to Love

With so much already being put on hold, Elliot Faber, founder of Sake Central, and his fiancé Tiffany Ung decided that their commitment to each other wasn’t going to be one of them.

“I had all these visions of grandeur to [propose] in Japan or on a plane, but of course, because of Covid, we couldn’t travel,” says Faber, who proposed to Ung at The Peak in April. “I had the ring, so I just did it. It was my way of saying Covid can’t get in the way of true love and doing what we want to do, even if it’s in an adapted, safe and responsible way.”  

With careful planning and support from friends, the couple will have a safe, socially distanced wedding on January 21, 2021. It will be an intimate ceremony on board a private yacht with just a celebrant, a photographer and a handful of close friends. Faber will be dressed by The Armoury, and Ung will dressed by local wedding dress designer, Rania Hatoum.

Rather than seeing this as a way to just “make do” in current circumstances, Faber and Ung have decided it’s the perfect opportunity to do something meaningful to help Hong Kong’s F&B community. And so, Kanpai to Love was born. Says Faber, “We still want to raise a glass to our friends and people that we wish could join us, and we decided we shouldn’t do it selfishly. We should find a way to give back since we’re fortunate to get married in such a grand way."

For those who can’t make it due to restrictions on gatherings and travel - and any general public who want to get involved - the couple have set up a dedicated website to sell a curated selection of sake bottles.

100% of the profits going towards helping members of Hong Kong's F&B community by providing free Covid-19 testing in partnership with LifeHub, as well as free meals. An anonymous donor has also pledged to match the donations. 

See also: Prenetics Founder Danny Yeung On Helping Restore Normality During Covid-19

 

"With the potential of receiving unpaid leave, the unfortunate sporadic closing of restaurants and constant changes to dining restrictions, we have chosen the heroes of hospitality to receive what help they need during the holiday season," says Faber, adding that the meals will be provided to everyone be it sommeliers, line cooks, dishwashers, housekeeping and all in between. "A lot of these people are separated from their families and loved ones. They usually go home for the holidays - it's what they work for, and now they can't."  

Providing these meals under a no-questions-asked policy will be Elliot's sake emporium and restaurant, Sake Central, and The Big Things Kitchen, which puts a healthy spin on comfort foods. Deliveroo has also pitched in, offering a discounted bulk voucher purchase so more people can be reached.

As for the sake people buy to support this cause? Faber and Ung hope they'll use it to raise a glass with them on their wedding day. 

"We've planned a sunset kanpai where we’re going to give everyone a link, and connect with these people to raise a glass to say cheers to love in a hard time; cheers to the end of this miserable year and cheers to Hong Kong, because Hong Kong is a beautiful and resilient place that has given me the chance to live and thrive, even in hard times. People deserve to hear it and feel it. This is just one couple’s effort to share that message with everyone." 

Want to get involved? Purchase your sake bottle and donate to Kanpai of Love here