TORONTO, Feb. 16, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, the originator of New-Style Tea, heytea, officially opened its first Canadian heytea lab at CF Toronto Eaton Centre (TEC), marking a major milestone in its North American expansion following the debut of its overseas heytea lab in New York's Times Square in early 2025.
As the brand's most avant-garde retail concept, heytea lab serves as a creative hub for tea innovation, flavor exploration, and aesthetic presentation. The TEC opening introduces the "tea lab" series to Canada for the first time, featuring eight globally exclusive, limited-edition beverages crafted for international markets, anchored in the newly developed Rock Oolong tea base—naturally high in aroma and complexity—and reimagining tea through layered flavor design and textural contrast.
To celebrate the grand opening, heytea partnered with renowned Canadian chef Susur Lee to present a refined fusion of haute cuisine and tea culture. The co-created signature drinks, Rock Oolong Caviar and Rock Oolong Caviar Ice Cream, reinterpret contemporary Chinese tea through contrast and balance, pairing savory caviar with the floral depth of Rock Oolong to deliver a fine-dining-inspired sensory experience. The collaboration reflects heytea's vision of elevating tea in a broader culinary dialogue.
Designed as an immersive creative showcase, the store transforms the R&D process visually. Displays of raw tea leaves, botanical ingredients, and extraction equipment offer transparency into craftsmanship and invite guests to engage with the story behind every drink.
Since entering Canada with its first Vancouver store in 2023, heytea has expanded strategically across the Vancouver and Toronto metropolitan areas, with the TEC flagship signaling its entry as the first New-Style Tea brand into this premier Canadian shopping landmark. The brand now operates six stores nationwide, supported by a dedicated Toronto distribution center launched in December 2025 to ensure consistent quality and supply chain stability.
Through heytea lab, the brand continues to position tea as a cultural medium, building meaningful connections within Toronto's diverse community.
About heytea
Founded in 2012, heytea revolutionized traditional bubble tea by committing to natural ingredients and today operates around 4,000 stores across more than 330 cities worldwide, with over 100 locations in Hong Kong SAR, Macau SAR, and overseas markets, including more than 45 in North America. The brand has partnered with global fashion, entertainment, and cultural brands including FENDI, alexanderwang, WICKED, POP MART, and Yayoi Kusama.
** The press release content is from PR Newswire. Bastille Post is not involved in its creation. **
Canada's First heytea lab Debuts at Toronto Eaton Centre, Unveiling 8 Global Exclusive Limited-Edition Drinks
BANGKOK, Feb. 17, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Researchers at Chulalongkorn University have developed a new cookbook designed to improve nutrition, safety, and quality of life for older adults and people with swallowing difficulties, or dysphagia. Titled Happy to Swallow: 52 Simple Recipes for Delicious Dysphagia Meals, the publication adapts popular Thai dishes into texture-modified meals that are safe to swallow while remaining visually appealing and flavorful.
The cookbook is led by Assitstant Professor Dr. Varanya Techasukthavorn, the Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, Faculty of Allied Health Sciences. It builds on the team's earlier work, 46 IDDSI-Compliant Swallowing Practice Menus, Thailand's first cookbook developed under the International Dysphagia Diet Standardisation Initiative (IDDSI). The new volume translates years of academic research on texture-modified foods into practical guidance for home kitchens and care settings.
The book features 52 recipes spanning familiar Thai main dishes, desserts, and beverages that have been redesigned to reduce choking risk while preserving authentic flavor and presentation. Each recipe was tested and refined in a kitchen laboratory to ensure safety, palatability, and nutritional adequacy.
Malnutrition remains a significant concern among older adults and individuals with dysphagia, many of whom avoid eating due to fear of choking or dissatisfaction with unappealing puréed foods. To address this, all recipes are developed by professional dietitians to provide balanced nutrients and adequate energy intake. The cookbook emphasizes natural, locally available ingredients and minimizes the use of additives, making it accessible to families and caregivers.
All dishes comply with IDDSI standards, a globally recognized framework used in hospitals and long-term care facilities to classify food textures and liquid thickness. The bilingual Thai-English format broadens the book's reach to international caregivers, healthcare professionals, and foreign seniors living in Thailand.
The publication forms part of a national research project examining the implementation of IDDSI-based diets in hospitals nationwide and is partially funded by the Ratchadapisek Somphot Fund of Chulalongkorn University. Researchers say the project aims not only to improve nutrition and safety, but also to restore dignity, confidence, and enjoyment at the dining table.
Happy to Swallow is available as a free digital download and for purchase through designated online platforms, serving as a practical resource for caregivers and health professionals seeking safer, culturally familiar meals for people with swallowing difficulties.
Contact LINE Official Account: @dysphagiadiet.th for more information.
Read the full article and download Happy to Swallow: 52 Simple Recipes for Delicious Dysphagia Meals for free at: https://www.chula.ac.th/en/highlight/278578
The book is available for purchase via the Happy to Swallow Facebook page.
https://www.facebook.com/happytoswallow/
Read the full article at: https://www.chula.ac.th/en/highlight/278578/
About Chulalongkorn University
Chulalongkorn University has made the world's top 50 university list for employment outcomes, which reflects both the high employment rate and work ability of Chula graduates. The university is also listed as the best in Thailand for the 15th Consecutive Year (since 2009), according to the newly released QS World University Rankings 2024, putting Chula at 211th in the world, up from 244th last year.
Social Media:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ChulalongkornUniversity
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/chulauniversity
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/school/15101896/
** The press release content is from PR Newswire. Bastille Post is not involved in its creation. **
Chula Researchers Reimagine Thai Cuisine for People with Swallowing Disorders
