Bristol Chef who specialises in Cantonese dishes has launched a gluten free menu

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Bristol-based chef Anita Cheung is launching a dedicated gluten free menu for her new restaurant CLOUDS in St Werburghs, a rarity in Chinese restaurants in general and the first fully gluten-free Dim Sum menu possibly in the city.

Anita and her team opened the restaurant in 2024 after running her own catering company Ah-Ma’s in the region for 11 years – she specialises in Cantonese food with a strong focus on hand-made dumplings and baos (Chinese steamed buns).

“We’re trying to be as inclusive as possible for those with specific dietary needs,” says Anita.

“I’ve spent a number of years on restricted diets myself and still have to be really careful about certain ingredients. I know what it’s like to have limited and often disappointing choices available. I really want CLOUDS to be a place where these alternative options don’t feel like an afterthought.”

The menu has been created by Anita and her team with all dishes cooked separately using dedicated utensils to avoid any risk of cross contamination. They work with an independent food safety consultant who regularly advises on best practice. The menu includes dim sum dishes, sharing plates, sides and a dessert.

Anita (42) was born in Hong Kong but relocated to the Isle of Man with her family when she was a toddler. Like many of their generation, her parents worked in takeaways and Chinese restaurants, eventually opening their own business when Anita was ten. She has fond memories of family and food growing up, noting that her mother didn’t teach her to cook, but she did teach her how to eat!

The concept of food-as-medicine, a key component of traditional Chinese approaches to health, was ever-present in her childhood with her mother having apprenticed to a medical practitioner for two years as a teenager.

“There was always some form of medicinal soup, drink or tonic which appeared whenever we were run down or unwell,” she remembers.

As a teenager Anita’s academic interests led her to study biology, culminating in completing a PhD in immunology and her life could have taken quite a different path but, following a request from a friend to provide food at a festival, her street-food business ‘Ah-Ma’s Dumplings’ was born.

The phrase ‘Ah-Ma’ means ‘mother’ or grandmother’ depending on how it is spoken. She specialised in hand-made steamed buns and dim sum, both made from organic flour and local ingredients and swiftly established herself as a firm fixture in Bristol’s competitive street food scene.

"Having a science background has helped me with many transferable skills in the development process of making and cooking. It keys in to my love of problem solving and I use that to develop the recipes to their highest potential,” Anita said.

“I taught Masters’ students during my PhD and have also tutored Science & Maths for GCSE & A-Level students and really enjoyed nurturing and guiding them which has informed my role as a leader in the business.

"I've also very much taken on my mum’s ethos to to cooking which starts with sourcing the best possible ingredients then taking an uncomplicated approach to preparation which really allows them to shine. Cantonese food in general emphasises the balance of subtle, understated flavours with well-chosen accents in seasoning and I'm keen to bring my love of locally sourced ingredients and healthy, nourishing food to what we offer at the restaurant.”

The restaurant, café & wine bar is a natural evolution of the street-food business and Anita and her partner Luke have ambitious plans to develop the venue over the coming years.

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Contact Information: - Name: Fiona Scott - Role: MD - Company: Fiona Scott Media Consultanccy - Phone: 07789270030 - Website: <https://www.cloudsbristol.co.uk> - More Details: https://scottmedia.uk

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