Hong Kong socialite Bonnae Gokson, best known for founding luxury rooftop lounge Sevva and cafe C’est La B, is launching a new coffee table book, Butterflies and All Things Sweet on September 9 in Greater China.
While not a cookbook, Butterflies captures the ingredients, ideas and inspiration behind Gokson’s works of edible art through images by Hong Kong-based photographer A. Chester Ong and food photographer Petrina Tinslay– many taken at Gokson’s cafes and restaurants in Hong Kong.
Included in the 280 pages are images of food that look like the ruffles of a petticoat, the petals of a delicate peony, and other whimsical edible creations often seen adorned with flowers and butterflies, Gokson’s favorite creature. One of our favorite is the image of chiffon cakes with coconut mousse placed next to two lanterns — the inspiration for the globe-shaped dessert.
“This book is the story of my cakes. It’s my thinking cap in a visual form,” says Gokson. “Spools of brightly colored ribbons, the seeds of a pomegranate, a fragment of handmade lace that holds memories of my years in fashion, the petals of a peony. All these things inspire me to create cakes that give pleasure to my customers.”
Butterflies, priced at HK$1,250 (US$161), will first hit the shelves on September 9 at fashion retailer Joyce, which Gokson’s sister founded, in Hong Kong, Shanghai and Beijing, and will then debut in New York on October 22, at the Ralph Lauren 888 Madison Store.
