
TOKYO -- In mid-June, on a Saturday evening in Bangkok, 40 guests of the Fruitfull Lockdown virtual dinner series sat in their homes, remotely clinking glasses and flashing peace signs at their "tablemates" across the city over Zoom, as live DJ music reverberated through their speakers.
Their fruit-themed multicourse menu, which was intended to highlight the topic of biodiversity, featured dishes created specially for the event by 10 of Asia's leading chefs, including Hiroyasu Kawate of Tokyo's Florilege, Dave Pynt of Singapore's Burnt Ends and Mingoo Kang of Seoul's Mingles. But the meal was prepared locally by chef Garima Arora and dispatched to each participant in eco-friendly, reusable packaging from her Michelin-starred restaurant, Gaa.