Betty Chen has an incredible presence. She commands the room effortlessly and those in her orbit can’t seem to help but fawn over her—openly admiring everything from her immaculately coiffed hair to her infectious smile, and basking in her confident, calming aura.
She is, in every sense of the word, a true matriarch—both a mother and a powerful leader. Think a real‑life Shang Su Yi, the revered grandmother, or ah ma, in Kevin Kwan’s Crazy Rich Asians. And yet, Chen is strikingly relatable.
It is lunchtime when she arrives on set for this photo shoot. While we are used to extravagant requests here at Chen’s lunch order is refreshingly simple: an egg and avocado croissant sandwich. After lunch, she enjoys being pampered: getting her hair and make‑up done, and her nails painted in a brilliant red hue. She reveals that today is the first time in a long while—years, even—that she
