Coming from Switzerland, he grew up in a family with a deep background in the food and spirits industry. At the age of 20, he decided to move to Asia, and eventually chose Guangzhou, marking the beginning of a new chapter in his life.
Bastien Ciocca is one of the two co-founders of Hope & Sesame, a renowned bar in Guangzhou. The bar is not only a benchmark in China's cocktail scene but has also been featured multiple times on the "Asia's 50 Best Bars" list. In 2025, it ranked 29th on the "World's 50 Best Bars" list and has long become a top destination in Guangzhou.
It all started with a reunion of schoolmates and a cup of coffee shared after years apart.
Over a decade ago, Bastien met Andrew Ho from Hong Kong at a hotel school in Switzerland. After graduation, they went their separate ways, assuming they might never see each other again. Unexpectedly, a few years later, both of them were working at two different hotels in Guangzhou, and one day, they ran into each other and decided to grab a coffee and talk. As the conversation continued, they ended up deciding to quit their jobs and open a bar together.
One of the funny facts is that the bar was nearly named "Open Sesame." According to Bastien, the idea came from the story of Ali Baba; he wanted the bar's interior to evoke the treasure-filled cave from the tale. But a week before opening, someone on the team said, "That name is quite lame." To fix this, the bar's English name was finally changed to "Hope & Sesame."
Bastien's story is not just about entrepreneurship, but also about love. He met his Chinese wife in Malaysia; they'd both flown in from Switzerland to Asia, and ended up in the same city at the same time. Just a month later, they started seeing each other. Now, they've been together for over 15 years.
At the time, Bastien told her, "Let's go to China for one year." That "one year" has now turned into 12.
From a tiny team at the start to a hundred people today, Bastien admitted, "There are a lot of things I cannot do anymore by myself, me and Andrew… We had to learn how to delegate, how to have different roles." Now, he and Andrew are thinking about how to bring Cantonese local bar culture to a wider audience.
Bastien also frequently holds master classes and seminars in major cities across China, training bartenders. "When you start to see people using what you taught them or using some ideas that you shared, this is something very rewarding."
Speaking of Guangzhou, Bastien said, "Guangzhou is, maybe, not the sexiest city the first time you come here. But then, once you start to get used to the city, to the pace, it will become a really good place." He also observes that people in Guangzhou strike a balance between being relaxed and efficient. Some places are too slow, and after a while, people want to speed up. Other places are too fast, and people can't slow down even if they want to. In Guangzhou, however, they get both—fast-paced when they need it, and a traditional leisurely vibe at the same time.
In Bastien's view, what matters more is that the people of Guangzhou have a deep understanding, passion, and curiosity for food and beverages. "I knew Cantonese restaurants, but I didn't really understand how deep that love for food is," he says. He believes this culture gives Guangzhou an edge in business as well—even if one's doing something niche, they can still find a customer base. "You can be a bit bolder. You don't need to worry too much. If you do something good, people will be coming to the door."
(Reporters: Darius, Julianne; Camerapeople: Julianne, Shuai Cheng, Darius; Video Editors: Julianne, Darius; Editor & English Editor: Darius)
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