Ask chef Simon Rogan what drives him and he offers a deceptively simple reply: “To elevate the humble cabbage into a dish as revered as a fillet steak.” 

 
It may sound like a straightforward statement, but to make his goal a reality involves nothing short of “changing the way a city has conducted itself for its entire history.” 

 
When he first arrived in Hong Kong, before opening Aulis in Causeway Bay in 2019, followed soon after by Roganic, which earned a Michelin star in less than a year and went on to become the first restaurant in the city to earn the new Michelin green star, sustainability was barely on the agenda. 

 

Three-Michelin-starred L’Enclume. (Photo courtesy of Simon Rogan)

 

But on his latest visit this year from the United Kingdom, where he runs several restaurants including three-Michelin-starred L’Enclume, he was pleasantly surprised. 

 

“The seeds of the movement are growing. Recycling is on the agenda, as is waste reduction, and ‘green’ is becoming a trendy word,” he says. “Hopefully we’re at the forefront of a promising change of attitude among the people of Hong Kong.” 

 
Changing attitudes is the most difficult part of driving sustainability in Hong Kong, according to Rogan, while in the UK, learning to be a farmer as well as a chef has been his biggest challenge. 

 
When he first opened L’Enclume 20 years ago, he worked with a local farm nearby, but the produce was neither totally organic nor very good. When the opportunity arose to grow his own produce, he jumped at the chance. Starting the farm was the “most fulfilling decision” he has made in these two decades.  

 

Simon Rogan’s farm in Cartmel Valley in northern England. (Photo courtesy of Simon Rogan)

 

His farm now sprawls over 12 acres of the green fields of the Cartmel Valley in northern England. Here he grows almost all of the green produce he uses in his three busy local restaurants and his chef’s table down in London. He sees the farm as an extension of the kitchen, with chefs and growers working side-by-side to create ingredients.  

 

He even now has a Farm Head Chef – a position that shows the symbiotic relationship between farm and kitchen – who preserves, ferments, juices and dries the surplus from the farm to use during the colder winter months when produce is less fruitful.  

 

But the process has not been easy. While the farm started off with neat walkways and ornamental beds – it was “pretty and precise” – he quickly learned he would need to vastly increase production. Now it is an intensive farm, with every centimetre put to work, and the focus is on feeding the soil, making sure the crop rotations are properly introduced, and that the successions are forthcoming.  

 
Farming organically in particular has its challenges. 

 

Rogan practices regenerative rather than sustainable farming. (Photo courtesy of Simon Rogan)

 

“You may have a cabbage that is just about holding on to dear life on the inside, but from the outside it’s ravaged by pests. We don’t use pesticides, as organic farming is about natural, unprocessed food, and we have many failures,” he says. “We don’t do it for profit; we do it because it’s right, and because nine times out of 10 it gives much better flavour.” 

 

Rogan practices regenerative rather than sustainable farming – while the latter aims to have a neutral impact on the environment, regenerative farming seeks to restore soil health and biodiversity. “It’s about giving back,” he says. 

 
He works with suppliers to reduce and reuse any packaging, and his restaurants produce barely any waste, with organic leftovers, including everything from fish bones to vegetable cuttings going into nine hot composters that create “amazing” compost to replenish the farm’s soil. He is also looking into water preservation systems, plus solar and wind power alternatives.  

 

“A restaurant like ours at the top of food chain has the responsibility to educate diners about ingredients and the importance of provenance,” Rogan says. (Photo courtesy of Simon Rogan)

 
In Hong Kong, Rogan has also designed processes to be regenerative – within the restaurants, but also in the greater hospitality ecosystem. 

 

The Roganic team separates waste and returns the organic matter back to the farmers in the New Territories that supply the restaurant so they can turn it into compost and improve the soil for the next harvest.  

 
Particularly at The Baker & The Bottleman, Rogan’s sustainable modern bakery in Wan Chai, the team has worked hard to reduce packaging and encourage reusable bags and coffee cups. All packaging that is used is recyclable or compostable, if not made from organic or recycled cotton. Most ingredients for the bakery are seasonal and sourced from local, small-scale and mindful producers.  

 

Roganic Hong Kong, which earned a Michelin star in less than a year, went on to become the first restaurant in the city to earn the new Michelin green star. (Photo courtesy of Simon Rogan)

 

Rogan has streamlined operations by seeing his restaurants as a community: ingredients are shared among kitchens to reduce food waste, while manpower is shared between venues to keep costs down. Staff are encouraged to bounce ideas off each other and work together for inspiration. 

 
Across the group, staff well-being is put centre stage, a way of giving back to the team. Working hours are set up to allow for a healthy work–life balance, managers are given mental health training, and all staff have access to a mental well-being app. Rogan says they ensure staff are paid well and that they are kept interested with fresh ideas and new equipment. 

 

The Roganic team separates waste and returns the organic matter back to the farmers in the New Territories that supply the restaurant so they can turn it into compost and improve the soil for the next harvest. (Photo courtesy of Simon Rogan)

 
“Nurturing from within has always been a big part of our policy, letting employees flourish as hospitality professionals,” says Rogan, who adds that the Hong Kong team fraternise after hours, enjoying karaoke or playing virtual games together.   

 

Growing a sustainable – perhaps even regenerative – industry involves all players in the hospitality ecosystem, from farmers and producers, to staff and diners. It involves ensuring all processes, from soil to fork and back to the soil again are designed to have a positive impact.

 

Be it in the United Kingdom or Hong Kong, the renowned British chef puts environmental consciousness at the centre of his endeavours, earning multiple Michelin stars on the way. (Photo courtesy of Simon Rogan)

 
“A restaurant like ours at top of food chain has the responsibility to educate diners about ingredients and the importance of provenance,” he says. “We also have the responsibility to lead by example when it comes to sustainability for others in the hospitality business.”