Our Story

At least fourteen years after its inception as a small private kitchen tucked away in a hidden corner of Wan Chai, the once modest kitchen florished into the now cosy, intimate and private gathering venue for food and wine lovers at Star Street Precint. Under Chef Esther Sham’s dedication and passion, Ta Pantry has thrilled many guests with a series of creative, cuisine-driven menus which showcased Sham’s unique cooking style.

Throughout the years, Ta Pantry continues to serve the same nostalgic dishes, but with innovative upgrades and twists to the cuilinary techniques used for the premium ingredients. One, not to be missed, is the Melting Onion Duck which is one of Sham’s most iconic creations and a true staple of Ta Pantry.

With much history behind Ta Pantry, the private space is accented with touches that imbue the interiors with a timeless cottage-chic charm – a home-style front door, distressed white wood panelling and a private powder room evoke throughout the venue. Each design element of Ta Pantry was also personally selected by Sham to allow her guests to immerse into her story of Ta Pantry.

Esther Sham, the Hong Kong born Shanghainese - American, was exposed to a myriad of different cuisines from an early age but it was an early career in modeling that ignited her passion in cuilinary. With a strict diet, Sham’s desire for food indulgence increased her exposure to fine
dining which sparked the latent culinary creativity w
ithin her.

Sham began experimenting in the kitchen, channeling her interest in haute cuisine into developing her own style of cooking. She left modeling behind to begin her professional journey into food with an apprenticeship at three - Michelin starred L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon in Hong Kong. It wasn’t long before she branched out on her own with the opening of the first Ta Pantry in 2008. Despite the private kitchen’s initial success, Sham continued to broaden her culinary horizons at Amber at The Landmark Mandarin Oriental under the tutelage of renowned chef Richard Ekkebus before returning to Ta Pantry in the evenings.

In 2011, Sham’s desire to deepen her skillset brought her to two - Michelin starred Relais Louis XIII in Paris and Le Jardin des Sens in Montpellier. After her return to Hong Kong, Sham continued to oversee the evolution of Ta Pantry and subsequently launched her first French dining destination, Maison ES, in April 2015.