China Wine Club founder Camden Hauge’s return to New York marks the second act of an East-West entrepreneurial story that began in Shanghai. The New Jersey native arrived in China in 2012 expecting a brief advertising stint, but discovered an F&B scene ripe for reinvention. Hauge started Shanghai Supperclub, which evolved into experience agency SOCIAL SUPPLY. She innovated Shanghai’s F&B scene with cult venues like Egg cafe, Bird (for drinks and bites) and the “hidden bar”Lucky Mart, under her Happy Place group.
Hauge’s pivot in founding China Wine Club brings bottles from boutique Chinese winemakers to the US. Splitting her time between Manhattan and Shanghai, she forges a rare trans-Pacific hospitality identity: part authentic grassroots disruptor, part global taste curator, operating in two cultural capitals, in East and West.
Favourite local restaurants in New York?
It’s impossible to choose one – the city is so incredibly vibrant and it feels like new places open every day! I’ve been travelling a lot, so recently I have been binging the classics to feel like I’m really back in the city – these include S&P Lunch, Barney Greengrass, Monkey Bar, even the Oyster Bar at Grand Central Station with their bathtub-sized martinis. The classics are classic for a reason.
If we’re talking fine dining, Atomix is one restaurant I always recommend for their intimate dining table, innovative yet tradition-based dishes, and insane wine pairings. It’s rare to leave dinners winded from both discovery and deliciousness, but Atomix will do that.
Local hidden gem discovered since moving back?
This is a bit insane, but chicken over rice (ask for the additional US$2 extra chicken, white sauce, one stripe of red sauce) from a halal cart is always my first meal when I arrive back to the city. Everyone’s local cart is always their favourite, but I genuinely believe The Halal Kitchen at Union Square is the best.
Best neighbourhood bars in New York?
I do a lot of events at bars so I don’t often go to bars if I’m not working (and we do happen to have quite a lot of wine at home!) but if I am craving a classic bar, I love Ear Inn to marinate in Old New York (literally the oldest, open since 1817!) or The Commodore in Williamsburg for peak dive bar vibes, featuring their epic nachos and a frozen pina colada.
Favourite holiday destination in North America?
My favorite place to escape the city is back to Wyoming, which my dad’s side of the family has called home since 1929. I miss the mountains when I’m away too long – I cry every time we leave.
How has your new initiative China Wine Club landed in NYC?
I’ve been thrilled for how open-minded and excited people have been about our Chinese wines here in New York – I was cautiously optimistic because it’s a mature market and there’s a thirst for new things here, but I am truly grateful for everyone’s support.
If you could teach the world three things about Chinese viticulture, what would they be?
I’ll distill it to two. First, that the diversity of different regions is immense – we have land under vine everywhere from sea level at the far east coast of the country through the middle, near the Gobi Desert, up into the foothills of the Himalayas near the Myanmar border, the highest vineyards in the world (to my knowledge).
Second, most importantly and most excitingly, is that this is just the beginning! China’s history of winemaking is long but this latest chapter is recent, and so the growers and makers are still testing what varietals works where and how best to make wine that’s representative of their land and their styles. If the ‘modern’ plantings only started in the mid/late 90s, and it takes 15-20 years for vines to produce decent vintages, then this is just the beginning of that experimentation process, and we get to witness the wine becoming more delicious and interesting in the years to come.
Favourite Chinese wines and why?
Oh I can’t – it’s like choosing a favourite child! It totally depends on the moment, the time of year, the occasion, everything…So I’m going to cop out and say nothing hits like a Tsingtao beer after a day of wine tasting.
Where to go in China to avoid the crowds?
I’m very lucky to spend a lot of time in rural areas when I go to visit the winemakers, and my last visit to Yunnan reminded me how refreshing the countryside can be. High mountains, fresh food, warm people, discovery of local traditions – it’s really special. I recommend places like Shangrila / Deqin in Yunnan; Penglai in Shandong; even the rolling dunes of the desert south of Yinchuan in Ningxia.
Tell us about your time in F&B in Shanghai and why it was so special?
I was very lucky to start doing my Supperclubs and eventually open my first restaurant over 10 years ago when Shanghai was just starting to bloom into the boom years of 2015-2019. So I got to ride this amazing wave of creativity and development alongside great talent, but the best part was really the collaborative nature of the city – everyone in the industry was so helpful and excited to work together to collectively raise the quality of dining and drinking in Shanghai. Even now, the old guard who remains very close, and the next gen, who worked with and under us, have since opened their own places – it’s a very close and supportive family tree.
Favourite Shanghai restaurants today?
I have to shout out the next gen I was referring to who’ve opened spaces that are truly third culture and reflect their unique points of view: make sure you check out Bastard, Yaya’s Pasta, Nono’s Ristorante, 园有桃 Yuan You Tao which is modern Hunan cuisine and De Artan Dessert Bistro.
Best neighbourhood in Shanghai?
I’m biased based on the location of my own restaurants but I have to say Xuhui. The lovely tree-lined streets, endless cafes and bars, and gorgeous Deco buildings have been my home for the past 14 years.
Most inspiring city you’ve visited recently?
My husband Lucas and I were on a bit of an Asia tour this winter thanks to some friends’ weddings plus work – Chiang Mai, Hong Kong, Taipei, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, Ho Chi Minh, Hoi An – and each of them have been inspiring in their own way! Perhaps also because I have spent the least amount of time there, I would say that the variety of Kuala Lumpur’s food and the vibrancy of Ho Chi Minh were both incredible. I can’t wait to return.
Your top 3 cities in the world for food and why?
I’m of course biased, but Shanghai and New York have to be top two, because not only do they have their own ‘local’ food traditions but they are also the nexuses of cultural diversity within their regions, which means you can enjoy both depth and breadth of food options, as well as constant innovation bred of competition. For the third, there are too many options. I love Northern Thai food traditions so I would say Chiang Mai, but realistically it’s always the city I travel to next.
Travel splurge you’ll never forget?
Lucas and I always end up hauling back mountains of ceramics and textiles when we travel – not only are they beautiful objects but they also remind us of all of the places we’ve been together.
Where do you go when you for stimulation and creative energy?
It’s cliche but my best stimulus is to visit a museum and go for a walk. A walk to a museum, and a walk after the museum (usually to a snack) to metabolize all of the stimulus. Luckily New York is stacked with museums, and even more so, the opportunity to walk.
Where do you go for pure escapism?
Going to see live music always pulls me out of my busy mind and energizes me in a way few things do – it almost doesn’t matter what or where the performance is; as long as there is a passionate artist, I am transported.
Favourite hotel, anywhere in the world?
Lucas and I recently came back from a mini honeymoon at Six Senses Ninh Van Bay in Vietnam and it was one of the most beautiful properties I have ever been to. The older I get, the more I appreciate privacy – the villas were laid out between rock pools and up a hill along the beach so that you cannot see any other villas directly from your own 2 pavilions and plunge pool except all the way across the bay. We also loved bicycling around, to their ample breakfast in the morning, up to the organic garden, or down to the beach for an afternoon of sailing.
Dream vacation, not yet fulfilled?
Bhutan. Despite it not being known as a food destination (my usual route), the Kingdom of Happiness has been on my list for a while. Hopefully one day.
