For the past 40 years, Chef Allan Tse has been bringing traditional Cantonese cuisine to mouths around Asia, before finally settling down in Beijing two years ago. He recently joined the Dragon Palace at the Kempinski Hotel as their Executive Chef, and continues to impress diners with both his flavors and with his fun and outgoing personality. During a recent meeting, Chef Allan laid down his chopsticks and talked to Agenda about the essence of Cantonese food, and how sometimes a bad economy can lead to greater things.

On January 25th and 26th chefs Brian McKenna and Alan Wong, of ROOMbeijing and the Hatsune empire respectively, will take each other on in the kitchen for an evening of creative cooking and playful sabotage. Each event will feature eight never-before-seen and never-to-be-seen-again dishes, and a live broadcast of their creations. Agenda caught up with the two chefs to learn more about the inspiration for this event, and what kind of rotten tricks you can expect from them in the kitchen.

When it comes to cupcakes and sweets, CCSweets owner Carol Chow has the recipe for success. She has traveled and tasted desserts in France, Italy, Austria, Mexico, England, Spain, Australia, and lived in New York for 20 years. The deserts she makes here in Beijing use no shortening, only pure butter, and are made with primarily imported or organic ingredients. The Cs in her company name are not only her initials; they can also stand for cupcakes, cake and cookies, chocolate and caramel, ice cream, candy, or custom created sweets. Carol puts a lot of time and love into her creations, which helps make them the sweet masterpieces that they are. Agenda spoke with Chow about her business, and why there are no shortcuts in baking.

When Yuliya Mavletbaeva came to Beijing from Tajikistan eight years ago, she arrived with a suitcase, USD 300, and a degree in international business that she didn’t plan on using. During her time here she has pursued her passions for education and community, working mostly in preschools. But since having a child of her own she has reinvented her career and begun teaching a range of classes for moms and their kids under the moniker Family Fun with Yuliya. Not only has this venture allowed her to integrate her work with her private life, it has also finally given her a chance to apply her business knowledge. Agenda sat down with Mavletbaeva to find out about life as a mommy-preneur, and how to build a family-centered company.

Michelle Hemsin and Eyee Hsu are the owners of Counting Sheep Boutique, a store offering gear for moms, dads and kids. Not only are these two women running a small business while pursuing careers in other fields, they are also dedicated moms. From maternity clothes, baby furniture, baby shower gifts to party items, Michelle and Eyee’s shop provides high quality organic and environmentally friendly products. In addition, Michelle runs two spas and Eyee hosts a television show on CCTV-9. Agenda decided to find out how they juggle being businesswomen and moms.