JENNIE YIP

• When the leading personalities in the food and hospitality industry look to launch a new restaurant, their first call is to Jennie Yip. With over 18 years of restaurant experience, Yip has become the “go-to-girl” for top chefs, restaurateurs and hoteliers, working with visionaries Chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten, Andre Balazs, Brian McNally, Ian Schrager and Jonathan Morr.
• Restaurant Manager in the early 90’s at the famed 44 Restaurant in the Royalton Hotel under restaurateur Brian McNally.
• 1995 she opened the high profile Blue Door Restaurant and created the Food and Beverage Program at the Delano Hotel in Miami Beach. • In 1996, Yip founded JENJUICE, a restaurant consulting company specializing in creating unique food and beverage concepts, interior designs, project management and operations.
• During this time, Yip also served as Vice President of Restaurant Development for WAVE Department Store in Bangkok, Thailand. There she was responsible for the development of five new concepts: integration of design and function with Christian Liaigre, sourcing new culinary chefs, kitchen design, private labeling and management.
• In 1997, Yip moved back to New York City to manage and expand legendary New York City restaurant INDOCHINE.
• Developed the Food and Beverage Program at the Mercer Hotel in New York for hotelier Andre Balazs and eventually went from Restaurant Consultant to General Manager of Mercer (Kitchen) under the direction of Chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten with designs by Christian Liaigre. She considers Jean-Georges a mentor who inspired her to learn the French culinary world of casual dining and hospitality.
• In 1999, Yip partnered with Jonathan Morr and Amir Ben-Zion to form a hospitality company, the Jonathan Morr Group. Combining their talents and the skills of Parisian designer India Mahdavi, they created: * A chic hotel concept in Miami called Townhouse Hotel * New York Outpost’s sushi restaurant Bond St lounge * APT, a nightclub in New York’s Meatpacking District.
• Together, Yip and Morr, known for creating unique concepts in emerging neighborhoods: * Entered the NOCA district in New York City in 2001 and launched yet another distinct restaurant and lounge, Theo. * During the same time the Mexican Hotelier’s of the famed Habita Hotel united with Yip & Morr to create an inimitable hotel in a 1920’s neo-classical building in Mexico City with India Mahdavi. This all-star team handcrafted Condessa, a 40-room hotel that was born to international critical acclaim. To this day it remains on the “Hot List” for Mexico City in Conde Nast Traveler and is noted as the best “Sexy City Nook” in Tatler Magazine.
• In 2003, Yip moved back to Miami Beach to launch her signature namesake restaurant, Miss Yip Chinese Café and one of her original concepts, BUCK15 Lounge, with partner Amir Ben-Zion. * Yip wanted to create a Chinese restaurant that exemplifies the flavors and design of the East and West in a Chinese bistro setting with a familiar Chinese American menu. The restaurant had received applause from food critics for its originality and true Asian flavors. * Her inspiration for BUCK15 was derived from her days of living in Japan and she adorned the interior with intricate graffiti, 70’s retro furniture and collectible toys.
• Most recently, Yip joined friend and mentor Ian Schrager to assist in opening the Gramercy Park Hotel in New York. Serving as Food & Beverage Development Director, she developed a unique Chinese concept, a new culinary room service menu, ROSE & JADE Bar, and a garden landscaped private ROOF CLUB. Today, Yip continues to pursue creative projects associated with unique concepts and excellent cuisine. Yip travels around the world for inspiration in search of unique flavors, design and concepts. An active member of the community, Yip serves as Food Captain for Kids for the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation, which supports kids living with AIDS. In addition, she volunteers her time at the New York Asian Women Center, a shelter for women and children of domestic violence. What's next for Yip? She is busy planning her expansion of Miss Yip Chinese Cafe, and developing a variety of gourmet fast food concepts.

• Amir Ben-Zion was born in Israel and moved to NYC in 1978, a part time musician and Real Estate broker during the early 1980’s amir founded.
• First Corporate Sedans (FCS), a corporate transportation fleet in NYC in 1985, Today FCS is one of NY City’s largest fleets, providing nearly 500 Town cars to fortune 500 corporations.
• In the mid 1990’s Amir along with Jonathan Morr and Jennie Yip have created the Jonathan Morr Group, presently under ownership and management are the Townhouse Hotel in Miami Beach, Bond St Sushi Lounge in Miami Beach, the group is also the creative force behind APT, the famous lounge in the Meet packing district of NY.
• Amir and his family (Dr. Ester Ben-Zion plus 4 ) have moved to Miami Beach in 1998 where Amir founded Paradise Properties, PP is the owner/developer of several residential and commercial projects, Cynergi Lofts, Park lane Tower, The Chelsea, Brickell Flatiron and Mid Town Lofts which have been designed by Enrique Norten.
• In 2004 Amir and partner Jennie Yip have launched Miss Yip Chinese café and Buck15 both are on South Beach world famous Lincoln Road…Amir will soon open Bardot, a lounge in the old Post Office of the Design District section in Miami.

• Paul Niski has been in the design industry for more than 25 years with experience in graphic design, fashion advertising, identity and branding, product and retail merchandising, as well as store and restaurant design.
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• Bloomingdale's, NYC, Art Director
• Café Luxembourg, NYC, identity and branding
• Odeon, NYC, identity and branding
• Bloomingdale's By Mail, NYC, OVP Creative Director
• The Gap Inc., San Francisco CA, VP Creative Director responsible for The Gap, Gap Kids as well as repostioning Banana Republic.
• Studio N, NYC, Founder & Creative Director. Design studio creating
and designing campaigns, and projects for Bergdorf Goodman, Calvin Klein, Felissimo, Gucci, Lacoste and Neiman Marcus.
• Gucci S.p.a., Milan, Italy, advertising project
• Wave Department Store, Bangkok, Thailand, SVP Creative Director
• GOOD Inc, NYC, a creative design firm. Clients: Anthropologie, Bocado.com, Crabtree & Evelyn, Salvatore Ferragamo, Garden.com, Trussardi italia
• Crabtree & Evelyn, VP Creative Director, Waltham, MA, to reposition
and redesign their image.
• GOOD Inc, Boston, Creative Director / Consultant. Clients include: Alene Candles, Brookstone, Buck15, Crabtree & Evelyn, East-singapore, Eat-Drink-Laugh Restaurant Group, Illume Candles, Miss Yip Chinese Cafe, Paradise International Development.
• GOOD, Boston, MA, a shop/gallery with a fresh and diverse mix of objects that reflects Paul's desire to integrate home, fashion, art and design. (www.shopatgood.com).
• Miss Yip Chinese Café, Miami Beach, interior designer, identity and branding
• 21st Amendment, Boston, MA, interior designer, identity and branding
• Blarney Stone, Dorchester, MA, interior designer, identity and branding

"it's all about the pleasure of seeing friends enjoying freedom and fun whilst wearing my clothes..."

"everyone that I've come across so far always pauses and giggles when they hear the name sexylittlebeach," says Rai Von Bueren, the fashion designer whose pieces have featured in Thai Luxury Spas and are de rigeur in glitterattipacked resorts such as Amanpuri, Rayavadee and Pansea Koh Samui. "It's not my fault that they have deviant minds!"

Rai is hardly your common or garden fashion designer, in fact the humble Eurasian model doesn't even presume to give herself such a grandiose title. "It was never my dream to be fashion designer," she says, "and I don't consider myself to be one. I'm not inventing anything new, just rehashing old ideas and adding a little Eurasian flair to it."

Harsh self criticism from one of Thailand's most famous models, the creator of some of the country's cutest threads, and the latest iconic designer to be called upon to demand a walk-out on reality-meets-calamity show, America's Next Top Model.

"sexylittlebeach is one of my hobbies," she continues. "it's more about the pleasure of seeing friends enjoying freedom and fun whilst wearing my clothes."

The clothes themselves are certainly playful and flowing. The tropical style means that light fabrics have been paired with soothing colours, and when you slip on some of her Thai-Style trousers and cotton tops, or light cotton dress, you'll get that lightheaded 'I'm on holiday' feeling, whether you're away from home or not.

Launched in 2004 as a result of an increasing amount of resort hopping while modeling, Rai still designs sexylittlebeach as clothes she would want to wear, and as a Eurasian merges oriental and modern western touches with a delicate touch. "My father is Hong Kong Chinese and my mother is Australian. I'm married to a German/Thai and living in Thailand, so yes it's the way I see things. I try to find the best of both worlds and marry them into my ideas."