“We invested everything we had in Hope & Sesame: it was a gamble that had to pay off.” Now Andrew Ho and Bastien Ciocca have five restaurants with 100 employees: the story.
The story
Andrew Ho's journey is a testament to how passion and perseverance can divert a predetermined destiny to forge a new, bright reality. Originally from Hong Kong, Ho trained at a hotel school in Switzerland, cultivating the ambitious dream of one day becoming the general manager of a large hotel. After climbing the ranks in the hotel industry, eventually becoming deputy director of the Food & Beverage department at the Grand Hyatt Hong Kong, his life took an unexpected turn. As we know, fate loves to weave unexpected plots. For Andrew Ho, this thread unraveled in Guangzhou, where a job transfer reunited him with an old Swiss classmate, Bastien Ciocca. Sharing a burning passion for culinary arts and mixology, the two dreamed of opening a restaurant. But 2016 had a surprise in store.
They found a charming spot in an old neighborhood of Guangzhou, a place they loved but which proved stubbornly unsuitable for their ideal restaurant. They found themselves at a crossroads: give up their dream location or reinvent the project, as they recently told 50 Best. They opted for the latter, with a dash of boldness and a sprinkling of uncertainty: “Let's open a bar and see how it goes.” And so, almost by accident, Hope & Sesame was born, a name that would resonate far beyond the city limits. At the time, Guangzhou, a bustling metropolis of 20 million souls, had only one craft cocktail bar. Ho and Ciocca's venture was a real gamble, a leap of faith in which they poured every resource they had. As Ho recounts, “We invested everything we had in Hope & Sesame: it was a gamble that had to work.”
The first few days were a real tour de force. Alone, Andrew and Bastien juggled behind the bar, driven by unwavering dedication. Their secret weapon? An innovative approach to drink creation, using fresh ingredients and a chef's mindset. They transferred the techniques and sensitivity for flavor combinations honed in the kitchen to the world of cocktails, blending their two great passions into a single, harmonious symphony of taste. It was this boldness, combined with their total dedication, that captured the attention and laid the foundations for a real revolution in the cocktail scene in mainland China. Success was not long in coming. Hope & Sesame quickly became a revered restaurant, winning numerous awards and putting Guangzhou on the world cocktail map. This success culminated in 2025 with the prestigious Altos Bartenders' Bartender award, presented to Andrew Ho at Asia's 50 Best Bars, a peer-voted award that testifies to the respect and admiration he commands in the Asian bar industry.
Today, the business has expanded to 100 employees spread across five bars in Guangzhou and Shenzhen, as well as a consulting business. Despite this growth, the founders' DIY philosophy remains intact. Andrew Ho focuses primarily on mentoring, training the next generation of talent in the cocktail world. “You have to be a leader, showing the team how it's done,” says Ho, expressing his joy in sharing his experience and passion. His story is a shining example of how an unexpected change of direction can lead to extraordinary success, transforming a hotel dream into a revolution in the world of mixology.
