SHERIDAN, WYOMING – June 17, 2026 – IHG Hotels & Resorts has kicked off the fourth edition of its Star Chef Gourmet Tour across Greater China, and this year's opening chapter puts a single, humble ingredient in the spotlight: rice. Culinary teams from nearly 50 hotels are taking part in a three-part series — Origin, Authenticity and Craft — designed for travelers and food lovers who want their hotel stays to double as cultural discovery. The first chapter, Journey of Origin, launched at Crowne Plaza Hangzhou Science City, where chefs from across East and South China built an entire tasting menu around rice's role in Chinese cuisine. For anyone who books a stay expecting room service and little else, it's a reminder that hotel dining has quietly become one of the more interesting reasons to choose where you sleep.
Why Rice, And Why Now
The Journey of Origin menu was framed around the idea "A Grain with a Thousand Flavors," tracing how one staple ingredient shows up differently depending on region, technique and generation. IHG Hotels & Resorts leaned into that variety rather than smoothing it over, pairing dishes from different culinary traditions on the same table. It's a smart move for a hospitality group with hundreds of properties spread across a country where food culture changes dramatically from province to province. Instead of a generic "Asian fusion" tasting menu, guests got something closer to a culinary map.
What Was Actually On The Table
The dinner moved through eight courses, each one finding a new way to reinterpret rice. Highlights included:
- Pomegranate-Shaped Beef and Roasted Chili Crispy Rice Bun alongside Jade-Green Rice Noodle Rolls
- Double-Boiled Duck Soup with Fish Maw and Black Rice
- Seared Rice Crisp with Yellow Skin Marble Goby and Black Truffle
- Crispy Beef with Rice Mochi and 15-Year Balsamic
- Braised Pork Belly with Wild Chives, Red Glutinous Rice and Rice Cake
- Squid Ink Egg Tart with Sweet Almond, Lily Bulb and Rice Reduction, closing the meal on a dessert note
That's a lot of rice doing a lot of different jobs in one evening — soup, dumpling wrapper, crust, mochi, even tart filling. The contrast between something as familiar as rice mochi and something as unexpected as squid ink egg tart is exactly the kind of detail that makes a tasting menu memorable rather than just filling.
The Bigger Strategy Behind The Plates
This isn't just a one-off dinner; it's a deliberate bet on dining as a brand differentiator. Jerome Qiu, Chief Operating Officer for IHG Greater China, framed the thinking behind the program directly.
"Today's diners are looking for more than exceptional food — they are seeking cultural discovery, meaningful experiences and emotional connection," said Jerome Qiu, Chief Operating Officer, IHG Greater China.
With more than 900 hotels across Greater China, IHG Hotels & Resorts has the scale to turn dining into a connective thread across its portfolio rather than a property-by-property afterthought. Chefs were positioned as "flavour guides" for the evening, with short films, behind-the-scenes photography and illustrated menus walking guests through how each dish came together. It's the kind of storytelling layer that turns a meal into something closer to a small exhibition.
Two More Chapters Still To Come
Journey of Origin is only the first stop. Journey of Authenticity, built around the element of fire, will look at how geography, climate and cooking technique shape regional cuisine. Journey of Craft, tied to water, will focus on stock-making, fermentation and other heritage techniques reimagined for modern dining rooms. Together, the three chapters are meant to function as a year-long culinary narrative rather than a single splashy event, reinforcing IHG's broader push to make food and beverage part of how guests experience a destination, not just a convenience between excursions.
Mini FAQ
Q: Where did the 2026 Star Chef Gourmet Tour begin? A: At Crowne Plaza Hangzhou Science City, as part of the Journey of Origin chapter.
Q: How many hotels are involved in this year's program? A: Culinary teams from nearly 50 IHG hotels across Greater China are taking part.
Q: What are the three chapters of the 2026 tour? A: Journey of Origin, Journey of Authenticity and Journey of Craft.
Q: Is this open to hotel guests only? A: The source material centers on participating IHG properties and their dining programs; availability details for individual events should be confirmed directly with each hotel.
For more on IHG Hotels & Resorts' dining experiences and properties across Greater China, visit IHG.