In a city like Shanghai, there are countless incredible ladies to celebrate on Women’s Day—and all year round, come on!
We reached out to eight badass women as part of our Women's Day Weekend, to learn their stories and gather advice for women—or anyone—in business and F&B.
Helena Kidacka
Crimson Pangolin Gin Co. Owner
Helena Kidacka (center) with Crimson Pangolin Gin Co. team members
Helena Kidacka is the definition of brains meets beauty in business ownership. After graduating from the London School of Fashion, Helena launched her career in accessories and was relocated to Shanghai.
When the intrigue of that role began to fade, this bombshell took the ultimate leap, stepping out of her comfort zone and into a new passion—starting her spirits brand: Crimson Pangolin.
As someone enthusiastic about financial opportunities, Kidacka sunk everything she had into the new gin distillery.
Helena Kidacka with Mark Lloyd, featuring their partnered specialty gin at J.Boroski Shanghai
Stepping away from the stability of a corporate salary was not an easy decision. She says it was a hard plunge at the time and it took a few years to reap the rewards, but eventually the risk paid off.
Reflecting on what made it a success, her advice is to “seek guidance from a handful of people you truly respect—mentors, industry peers, or those who have navigated similar challenges.”
She also counsels anyone starting a business that they likely won’t be able to pay themselves for the first few years, so it’s essential to have a foundation of stability outside of the new venture.
For those who know Kidacka, she is a genuine conversationalist; she’s curious about people’s lives, ambitions, and the lessons they can share—especially when it comes to smart investments.
Estefania Casas
Chihuahua Owner
As Estefania Casas puts it, after working in many positions in F&B—from pastry chef to hostess to restaurant manager—it was time to be her own boss!
She thought that if she was going to be working 15-16 hour days, it should at least be for herself.
“Being an entrepreneur means wearing multiple hats—it requires energy, patience, intelligence, and a lot of self-control… I’ve learned to navigate the chaos with humor—like a stand-up comedy show where you turn your struggles into jokes, because it is what it is.”
Chihuahua interior
Her humor is apparent when she admits that there have been times that she just wanted to “throw certain people out the window.”
Emotional intelligence and eloquence were essential, she says, to move through these moments.
Chihuahua faced nearly going under, only to return full force in the city, even winning the People’s Choice for Mexican Restaurant of the Year at the That’s Shanghai Food & Drink Awards 2024.
Estefania Casas (right) and the Chihuahua team with their award
Casas' advice is to surround yourself with the right people—those who share your core values and work ethic, uplift you, and don’t cling to you.
Boundaries are essential, and not everyone’s opinion matters. Similarly, while skills are important, they’re useless without consistency.
Most importantly, she counsels to always “treat yourself with respect.”
Chihuahua, 2-479, Wuding Lu, by Kangding Lu, Jing'an District 武定路479-2号, 近康定路
Jessie Jiang
C’s Bar Owner
Jessie Jiang with a 2017 Outstanding Dive Bar Award for C’s
Self-described as coming from the mountains, Jessie Jiang dreamed of life in Shanghai. She says she shared the hopes that any young person from a small town has: to make money and help her family.
In her words, there’s no specific reason she came to own the business she has today, which has thrived for 25 years, except luck.
It was luck that she had a great landlord who showed kindness during the first difficult year when rent payments fell behind. It was luck that brought an underground graffiti community together in the space she created. And it was luck (she says) that she didn’t lose sight of the possibility of success.
Jessie Jiang (right) in her earliest bar photo, with her sister and Michael O of Dada
C’s is the stuff of bar legends—a home to techno parties, strange art events, raging punk bands and their fireball-fueled crowds, emo kids smoking in corners, and live tattooing.
With the rise of social media over the years Jiang has owned C’s, it’s often lauded on Instagram as a vital hub of the Shanghai underground
Throughout it all, Jiang was most often to be found behind the bar, though she’s now taking a hiatus in her success to raise a new baby. Her advice is simple: work hard!
C's, 685 Dingxi Lu, by Yanan Xi Lu, Changning District 定西路685号, 近延安西路
Ting Ting
RIINK & Tako Owner
Ting Ting (center) and team at the That’s Shanghai Food & Drink Awards 2024
Coming from a Dutch-Chinese home, Ting Ting was born and raised in hospitality. Starting in sales from a young age, and working through magazines and other odd jobs, she faced many challenges to establish herself.
She says she learned at a later age that “not fitting in is actually okay,” and came to shine in the city for her previous well-loved bars, Inferno and Roxie, her roller-skating restaurant, RIINK, and her newest venture, Tako.
Ting Ting rollin' at RIINK
“Big cities are challenging,” she says “but it can be softened by providing a bit more thoughtfulness.”
She has come to believe that what she does is truly about helping others, and offers the advice: “Create to solve problems, create to make people happy.”
New joint Tako combines craft cocktails with a tattoo and piercing studio, while RIINK has become a true social hub in Shangkang Li, an ode to missed childhoods.
Ting Ting recommends finding a unique process that works for you and sticking with it—and to be mindful of time when navigating business!
RIINK, Shankang Li, Building 18, Room 102, 358 Kangding Lu, by Shaanxi Bei Lu 静安区康定路358号陕康里18号楼102室
Tako, 2/F, 777 Shanxi Bei Lu, by Kangding Lu, Jing'an District 陕西北路777号2楼，近康定路
Karen Chung
Jameson Brand Ambassador
Karen Chung mixing it up
If you mention the name 'Karen' in Shanghai, people will likely assume you are referring to Karen Chung.
Since landing in Shanghai 15 years ago, she describes her journey as having been a “half-ass artist, underground musician, teacher, translator/interpreter, marketer,” and more.
Chung became a familiar smiling face in F&B, starting with Bon App, then Ask Jerry, and later Jameson.
With each transformation, she stepped out of her comfort zone, moving from wildly creative spaces to multinational corporate culture, and eventually trying her hand at bartending and mixology as a natural progression in the hospitality industry.
Her cocktail experience included over a year of cross-training at J.Boroski Shanghai and a brief stint at Pontiac in Hong Kong. From there, she honed her skills and ultimately took on the role of China Brand Ambassador for Jameson.
Karen Chung, China Brand Ambassador of Jameson Whiskey
In making this move, she encountered the necessity to establish fresh boundaries with industry friends and brands, as well as redefine her self-identity.
Given that the F&B lifestyle is both personable yet serious, she continues to strike a balance between “building fun times” and professionally representing a vibrant whiskey brand.
Her advice is to keep exploring, which can include rediscovering the old. “Be observant and mindful about how you share yourself with the world,” she says. “Don’t take yourself too seriously,” and “Distill your own success!”
Ring Zhao
Bar Choice Owner
Ring Zhao and her Bar Choice team
Coming from a ‘tea family,’ Ring Zhao was raised with an appreciation for excellence in flavor and quality.
Though her career history is diverse, ranging from studies in food safety to business ownership in education, Zhao returned to beverage craftsmanship, putting all her focus on learning mixology.
She opened her flagship bar in Shenzhen in 2020, became the Champion of the 8th Bacardi Legacy Championship in China, and received the 2023 Global Prestige Award for Best Bartender of the Year.
Bar Choice, Shanghai Tea and Cocktails
In 2024, she opened Bar Choice in Shanghai, co-founded with China's top oolong tea master, Mr. Zhan Yibo, a Phoenix Dancong Intangible Cultural Heritage Master.
Through the expression of Zen aesthetics and the creative integration of tea and cocktail culture, they provide young people with an experiential space where traditional culture and modern F&B experiences coexist.
This model not only continues the traditional context, but also bridges the gap between Intangible Cultural Heritage and daily life in a lightweight, interesting way.
This conceptual precision earned Bar Choice the People’s Choice Bar of the Year at the That’s Shanghai Food & Drink Awards 2024.
Zhao's advice to women is to “Cultivate gentle power, and engrave ambition in the bones instead of the face.”
Bar Choice, 777 Huashan Lu, Jing‘an District 静安区华山路777号
Mirna Accad
Eli Falafel Owner
Mirna Accad outside Eli Falafel
In an unexpected career twist, Mirna Accad went from a successful role in finance to owning a restaurant in one of the largest cities in Asia.
This wasn’t the plan when she came to China with her husband, but as the Lebanese couple noticed a lack of their country’s traditional cuisine, Accad decided to transfer her skills in business management to the culinary world.
“I risked everything I had—financially, emotionally, and professionally. Starting a restaurant in a foreign country, especially one as competitive as Shanghai, was a leap of faith.”
She faced language and communication barriers, the demands of juggling restaurant and family life, the challenge of ensuring the authenticity of the cuisine, and training local staff in the complexities of Middle Eastern flavors.
For women considering similar dreams, Accad's advice is to embrace the risk, trust your instincts, stay resilient, and celebrate your uniqueness.
Atina Guo
Xibo & Cilan Owner
Atina Guo in relaxation mode
Before Atina Guo started her own business, she worked in hotel management. Although she expected that to be a lifelong career, nothing sparked her interest more than opening a restaurant.
She invested her time and finances to open Xibo, which has since won more That’s Shanghai F&B awards than we can count. And last year, she launched new venture Cilan.
READ MORE: Cilan: A Taste of West China on the West Bund
She says the honest truth is that “effort and reward are not always balanced,” that hard work won’t always lead to big profits, and that It is a learning process to “continue catching up with what’s happening in the world.”
Guo's advice is: “Don’t always think about what you want to do or should do. Just do it! In the process of doing it, you will naturally realize and learn what you need to learn.”
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