How I Got Here: hospitality specialist and Chairman Group partner. Jasmine Choi
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Admit it, we’ve all been there – stalking social media and LinkedIn profiles, trying desperately to figure out how the hell someone got their dream job.
It seems impossible, and yet there they are, living out your career fantasy (minus the itchy business suit). It might seem hard to believe, but once upon a time, they were also fantasising about their future career, and with some hard work, they made it.
Welcome to How I Got Here, HerCanberra’s series that reveals everything you want to know about the secrets of career success.
This week we meet hospitality specialist and Chairman Group partner Jasmine Choi.
Existential crisis time: Who are you and what do you do?
I am Jasmine Choi. To most, I am the person running Mu Omakase and Cicada Bar. To a few, I am an amateur potter in the shabbiest jumper behind the potter’s wheel.
I moved to Australia seven years ago from Hong Kong, where I worked as a food reporter. The experience of interviewing chefs, business owners, and passionate home cooks shaped my perspective on food, training me to translate flavours into narratives. In a way, my job today isn’t so different from my journalism days. The medium has changed, but the essence is the same: I’m still telling the story of food.
Let’s go back to when you were a kid. Have you always dreamed of working in this industry?
Not at all! Though looking back, I was always obsessed with the why and how behind food. As a kid, I loved staying right at my mum’s elbow in the kitchen, peppering her with questions: “Why do you put ginger but no garlic in this fish?” or “How is oyster sauce made?” But while I was full of curiosity about food, running a restaurant never crossed my mind. Ironically, the career I actually dreamed of as a teenager was being a war reporter.
Jasmine with her husband, chef Chuck Yu
Tell us about when you were first starting out. !hat set a fire in your belly to get here and how did you do it?
My journey isn’t about fuelling a fire – it’s about learning how to cool it down. As a double migrant – moving from South China to Hong Kong at six, and then to Canberra in 2019 – my default setting has always been knowing exactly what I want and pursuing it with laser focus.
When I started in the Australian hospitality scene, I knew I had to work twice as hard to build a life in a new city. That relentless drive paid off quickly, and before long, it earned me rapid promotions and the opportunity to launch Canberra’s first Omakase restaurant.
But opening Mu in the midst of the pandemic taught me that hard work has its limits. I was incredibly fortunate to meet a community of inspiring women who showed me a different way to lead. They taught me that when you keep your cool, you actually get better results. They taught me that composure is a superpower – that when you smile and relax, you can achieve more than when you frown and force perfection. It taught me that the secret isn’t pushing harder – it’s learning to relax, trust the process, and lead with empathy.
Recall a time when you wanted to chuck it all in; what did you tell yourself when it got too hard?
Restaurants are truly one of the hardest businesses to operate, and of course, I’ve thought of giving up.
I distinctly remember having lunch with my partner, Chuck, at the ramen shop opposite Mu and Cicada Bar just before a heavy Saturday shift. We were talking about how every venue in the city was struggling due to the road closures. As we spoke, my gaze drifted across the street toward Cicada Bar, and I watched the afternoon sunlight catch the concrete wall under the chandelier. Suddenly, a profound sense of gratitude hit me. I thought, What a beautiful place, and how lucky am I to work inside this space every day.
Whenever the exhaustion creeps in, I just pause and look at the beauty of what we built. It instantly brings me back.
What was your biggest break?
My breakthrough moment was the period I spent working with my partner, Chuck. During his time as head chef at Mu, we really defined what we stood for. He has brilliant culinary instincts and found a way to weave our Cantonese roots into the Omakase framework, which ultimately became the DNA of the restaurant.
I won’t pretend it’s always easy to work with your other half, but it was during that time – co-creating a menu that told the story about where we come from – that I finally found my own voice in this industry.
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received?
A line I fell in love with instantly while reading:
“Everyone you meet is fighting a battle you know nothing about.
Be kind.
Always.”
What is it about your industry that you love, and what makes you want to pull your hair out?
What I love most is the romance of human connection. My boss and mentor, Josiah, beautifully phrased it when he said, “My customers and I have a friendship that lasts for two hours.”
For me, curating the finest food and drinks and sharing them with our guests is like inviting friends over to your home. It is such a fun role, getting to welcome and befriend new people every day.
My pull-my-hair-out issue used to be working tirelessly all weekend, only to find the city completely quiet when I finally got a night off. Luckily, Canberra’s dining scene is changing. More and more fantastic venues are stepping up and opening early in the week. Examples include my favourite pizza shop Sliceria, Tintino, and our group’s latest venture, World in East Traders Hall.
What was your biggest ‘pinch me’ moment?
I wrote a letter to the owner of my favourite restaurant in Hong Kong (a World’s 50 Best Restaurant where it’s nearly impossible to even get a reservation) asking if I could hold my wedding party there. I still can’t believe he actually replied and said yes!
Tell us how you ‘stay in the know.’ What media do you consume?
Since I don’t own a TV, social media is my primary source for immediate information and industry trends. But when it comes to personal growth, I prefer a much slower approach. I still love buying real books and holding them in my hands. The deliberate, unhurried pace of reading helps me absorb wisdom and be more present and mindful.
Where do you see yourself in five years?
I see my future firmly rooted in this industry, but with a more diverse portfolio. One of my wildest dreams is to open a boutique gelato shop for fun, mature, and complex gelato flavours – think Roasted Chestnut and Bourbon, or Chocolate and Cognac Popcorn. It feels like a more playful way to continue telling stories through flavour to a much wider audience.
Why should people follow in your footsteps?
Even though it is one of the most competitive industries and the profit margins are notoriously slim, restaurants have always been there – and they will always be needed. In the age of AI, I believe that the intricate artistry of flavour composition and the warmth of true hospitality can never be replaced by robots. People should join this industry because it remains genuine and uniquely human.
What advice would you give your past self?
I think I would not give her any advice. I’d want her to step into everything with fresh eyes and discover the whole journey for herself.
