HAIR: DIANA MOAR. MAKE-UP: SARAH REYGATE. NAILS: LAUREN MICHELLE PIRES. DIGITAL ARTWORK: JOHN HEYES. MOFAD; THREE BLUE DUCKS; GETTY IMAGES
VOGU E DA R LI NG
Since being awarded a Michelin star in 2016 for
her mouthwatering Asian-fusion dishes at Pidgin
- her former restaurant in London’s Hackney – the
Singapore-born, Maidenhead-raised chef Elizabeth
Haigh (née Allen) has married, had a baby and
kickstarted Kaizen House, a new restaurant concept
through which she is “changing the perceptions of
what it means to be a chef ”. With her new venture,
the 30-year-old has created a digital platform for
recipe sharing, overseen pop-ups, and taken up
residences, serving her delectable fare everywhere
from Copenhagen to New York – and all with her
toddler and her business-partner husband in tow.
Her mission is to make the quality of her working
environment match her food. “Kaizen House is
influenced by my son and the recipes I’m developing
through my experience as a mother. Being a parent
in the restaurant business isn’t easy,” she explains.
“There needs to be a lot more maternity support.
Once I’d had a child, people assumed I didn’t want
to work. I felt like my career halted, but I’ve come
back with a vengeance.” Olivia Marks
“My work
in the kitchen
means my hands
need constant
moisturising. I use
Kiehl’s every day,
and I’m a sucker
for anything by
Aesop.” Kiehl’s
Ultimate Strength
Hand Salve, £22
“My husband is
Australian and we
got married in
Byron Bay, at a
restaurant called
Three Blue Ducks.
They have a farm
and I love their
low-waste ethos.
Instead of a
cutting of the cake,
we had a carving
of the beef.”
“Before I was a chef, I was an architect and
wanted to specialise in interior spatial design.
I am drawn to Brutalist buildings like Tate
Modern. I love that space, it’s so iconic.”
“As a
parent,
my
most-
used
emoji
is...
“I live right next door to a
Petit Bateau – my son looks
so cute in a yellow raincoat.
Grimm’s is great for wooden
toys. It encourages more
imaginative play, but it does
mean there are a hundred
bits for me to find.”
Coat, from £74, Petit Bateau
“The last exhibition
I saw was Chow:
Making the Chinese
American Restaurant,
at the Museum of Food
and Drink in New York.
It’s about Chinese
immigrants and their
food, flavours and
history. Fascinating.”
“I never have
time to read, so
I love Blinkist – it
gives snippets of
non-fiction that
you can absorb
in 15 minutes.”
Elizabeth
Haigh
“I’m always
in PolkaPants
in the kitchen –
I even took a
white pair to my
wedding. Chef’s
whites can be so
big but these are
cropped, tight
and more
feminine.”
Trousers, £99,
PolkaPants
Elizabeth wears
dress, £1,250,
JW Anderson.
Shoes, £495,
Christian
Louboutin.
Photograph:
Laura Bailey.
Styling:
Julia Brenard
”
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