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与广告奇才、餐饮精英的完美邂逅——专访从广告到餐饮界的传奇人物顾成先生
(2008-03-31 16:06:55)
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与广告奇才、餐饮精英的完美邂逅
——专访从广告到餐饮界的传奇人物顾成先生
From Advertising Legend to
Accomplished Restaurateur
A Perfect Rendezvous with Alex
Gu
Chinese Version:
Clara English Version: Lily
Photos: Looki
Located in Shanghai’s Hongqiao
International Development Zone, Hongqiao State Quest Hotel is
unique in its own way. The 5-star hotel sits on some three hundred
mu (49.42 acres), featuring elegant garden views that add a natural
touch to the hotel. Guests feel as if they’re in the embrace of
Mother Nature the minute they step in.
It was on a sunny March day
that we met with Mr. Alex Gu Cheng at the hotel’s Spring Valley
Lounge, a place famed for its inviting ambiance. His career
straddling several different areas, Alex boasts rich and legendary
experiences that evoke admiration in our minds.
Alex Gu was an elitist member
of the advertising industry and chairman of Golden Horse
Advertising Co., Ltd.—the first 4A advertising joint venture.
Taglines once popular among Shanghai consumers, including “20
years old this year, 18 the next” and “It’s strong, not fat”,
were penned by him. Facing the increasingly fierce competitions in
the advertising world, he intended to have a break in other
industries, and started business in the internet trade in 1998. He
also contributed to the birth of a 72-hour survival via internet
(Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou) that made a splash in China a decade
ago. Alex’s success is attributable to his passions in work and
everyday living, which we can easily tell from the variety of his
past experiences. His enthusiastic attitude is contagious,
awakening the liveliness and passions in people around him, people
who have been working with him for so many years that they get
along with each other like a real family.
In 2001, Alex debuted in the
restaurant scene with "Shanghai Uncle Restaurant", a business which
laid solid foundation for his future success. Some people observe:
Shanghai Uncle has transcended boundaries of different cuisines,
absorbing the best of the east and the west to form a unique
culinary style. The restaurant’s fusion menu features both classic
local food—Old Shanghai Deep Fried Fish Fillets, among others—and
westernized eclectic dishes such as Shanghai Uncle Special Broiled
Meat. While Old Shanghai Deep Fried Fish Fillets adheres to a
household recipe passed down through generations, from selection of
ingredients to cooking procedures, Shanghai Uncle Special Broiled
Meat is the westernized version of a traditional Chinese delicacy
coming in a pepper-salt flavor and paired with dips of apple jam or
lemon jam. A Shanghai Food Promotion was launched seven months
after its opening by "Shanghai Uncle Restaurant" in conjunction
with Pudong Shangri-La Shanghai, helping the restaurant to not only
get a higher rating, but also open up the market.
His years of experience
acquired at the advertising forefront have filled Alex with
creative ideas contributing to the promotion of "Shanghai Uncle
Restaurant". At one of the Shangri-La dinner parties entertaining
the media, novel tricks like pushcart serving and dish descriptions
printed on beautifully formatted postcards arrested the attention
of all present, leaving such a deep impression on their minds that
long stories featuring the restaurant were seen the next day in
Shanghai’s major newspapers, including Xin Min Evening News and
Jie Fang Daily. Large-scale media exposure made "Shanghai Uncle
Restaurant" famous overnight, bringing it to maturity in a short
period of time. Its reputation and impact were further enhanced by
celebrity patrons such as Robert Kwok and the former Chief
Executive of HKSAR, Tung Chi-Hua, who dined at the restaurant’s
flagship on Tianyaoqiao Road near Xujiahui. Shanghai Uncle’s
attentive service and fine food also left a deep impression on an
accidental diner surnamed Huang, who is the owner of The Westin
Shanghai Bund Center. Who could imagine that a casual visit
resulted in the collaboration of a fine restaurant and a five-star
luxury hotel who was then looking for tenants. Due to its upscale
positioning, "Shanghai Uncle Restaurant" will have its name linked
only to A-Class venues, such as the China Resources Time Square in
Pudong that houses another popular Shanghai Uncle outlet usually
chockfull of diners.
The huge success of Shanghai
Uncle encouraged Alex Gu to expand his business with a new chain
brand, "Shanghai Fishing Port Restaurant", a brand that follows a
casual, close-to-everyday-life line represented by the
restaurant’s spokesman Ah Qing, a veteran Shanghai-dialect farce
actor popular among local audiences, attracting average consumers
with quality food and wallet-friendly prices. “If Shanghai Uncle
unfolds kaleidoscopic scenes in the world of culinary arts,
Shanghai Fishing Port places heavy emphasis on healthy and trendy
fish delights that won five gold medals at Shanghai International
Food Fair 2005. We even have a horizontal board inscribed with
‘Cooking Master of Fish’, which is a calligraphic work of eminent
painter Mr. Cheng Shi-fa,” says Alex. The strength of the brand is
evident enough.
Alex won’t rest on his
laurels, no matter how successful the fancy Shanghai Uncle
Restaurants and the casual Shanghai Fishing Port Restaurants were,
are and will be. On the contrary, he never stopped explorations,
with greater accomplishements in mind. Alex now busies himself with
preparations for the launch of the third chain brand, L. Vannamei
Mediterranean Restaurant, taking part in menu design as well as
interior decoration and arrangement, as he himself is a painter
with years of experience in designing.
According to Alex, L. Vannamei
Mediterranean Restaurants will specialize in delights of L.
Vannamei shrimps, also known as South American shrimps. In 2001, L.
Vannamei was introduced from Hawaii to China with the approval of
the Ministry of Agriculture, and cultivated in the vast sea areas
along the country’s coastal line. L. Vannamei shrimps chosen by
Alex are supplied by the sea farms in Zhanjiang, Guangdong province
where not only the quality of the sea water is better than that in
other parts of China, but the concentration of salt is more fit for
the farming of shrimps. Alex reiterates that each of his shrimps is
plump and naturally green when raw. It turns red once cooked,
maintaining 95% of the original size and shape. The so-called
“crystal shelled shrimps” are but a pre-processed product, since
shrimps are naturally green before cooking and red after cooking.
Preserving the natural colors, L. Vannamei shelled shrimps are
healthy and suitable for eating even when they’re raw. The shelled
shrimps are cleaned by pure water sprays and fast frozen before
being carefully packed with seasonings. It is very convenient for
consumers to unpack them and eat directly. Shrimps of superior
quality are sure to arouse your appetite, and your delicious dreams
will come true at L. Vannamei Mediterranean Restaurants. “What we
promote is a healthy lifestyle which begins with 5-star quality
food,” adds Alex.
We feel lucky to have
interviewed Alex Gu who has reaped numerous achievements in
different trades. Moreover, we are deeply touched by his
undeviating loyalty to the principle of “Healthy and nutritious
food making your life more beautiful.” Alex Gu works pretty hard
in the hope that his L. Vannamei shelled shrimps could be seen in
the restaurants of all 5-star international hotels in the near
future. We’re looking forward not only to the opening of the first
L. Vannamei Mediterranean Restaurant, but to the continuous
prosperity of all Shanghai Uncle and Shanghai Fishing Port
restaurants, as well.
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