‘Party animal’ who helped to put Lan Kwai Fong on Hong Kong’s entertainment map dies aged 71
Dick Kaufman created the Central bar and restaurant area with Allan Zeman and took the helm at California Restaurant in 1983
Dick Kaufman, a key player in helping entrepreneur Allan Zeman shape the Lan Kwai Fong entertainment hub, died in the Thai resort of Phuket on Tuesday at the age of 71 after suffering cancer.
Kaufman, from New York, took the helm as manager of the California Restaurant in 1983 when Zeman opened the iconic venue in the heart of Lan Kwai Fong, which was once a garbage collection area in Central.
“He worked for me in those years when we first started Lan Kwai Fong. Dick was with me at the beginning,” Zeman said on Wednesday as he recalled the time when he decided to hire Kaufman, who had worked in Disco Disco, one of the first clubs in area.
“He was instrumental in many of the events that we planned together. Lan Kwai Fong was basically his responsibility at the time because I was in the fashion business at the time as well.
“He was quite a colourful character. He had a lot of friends.”
“He was a complete party animal and yet he had a magic touch at whatever he did, whether it was managing California or organising events,” Oldham said. “He used to be very serious about that and he was very good at what he did. Complete contradiction: party animal but an organiser.
“He knew what people wanted, which made him excellent in the hospitality business. I’m going to miss him a lot, a lot.”
Oldham said that after Kaufman left Lan Kwai Fong he took up event management roles for various organisations including the Tourism Board before retiring in Thailand about a decade ago.
He said a memorial service for Kaufman would be organised in a Buddhist temple in Phuket at a date to be confirmed.
