Society Insider: Geeling Ching on finding love on Bumble at 65 and her return to Auckland dining institution Soul

Ching, formerly known as Geeling Ng, is planning her wedding to fiancé, North Shore anaesthetist Dr James Woodfine.

“It took me over 60 years to find my soulmate, but he’s worth it,” Ching tells Society Insider.

Geeling Ching and her fiancé, Dr James Woodfine.

Both have been married previously – Ching to her former Gloss co-star Mark Ferguson.

She met Woodfine on Bumble four years ago.

“I was James’s first date on Bumble, and after several attempts with the dating app, he was very much going to be my last,” says Ching.

Ching says Woodfine loves how smart and sexy she is and the way she dances.

“As for James, now that I have trained him to make the perfect Vesper martini, he’s about as close to perfect as I’m going to get.”

They got engaged last year in Auxerre, in France’s Burgundy region, and will return there to get married when they both eventually retire.

That could be a while away, however, as Ching is excited to start her new role as Soul’s general manager, taking over from Liv Carter.

Geeling Ching with outgoing Soul GM Olivia Carter.

Ching had been working as operations manager for Soul since 2020, with her role expanding to include other venues when US billionaire Bill Foley’s Foley Hospitality acquired the restaurant and its parent Nourish Group in 2022.

“It was exciting working across multiple venues [including Andiamo and Jervois Steak House],” Ching says. “I felt I had a lot to give to them – ideas, experience, leadership. [But] the move to Group Operations really took me away from Soul, and I felt the distance.”

Taking over from Carter is serendipitous – it was Ching who interviewed her for a waitressing job in 2009 and recognised her potential at the restaurant that has become an Auckland dining institution.

“Geeling is incredibly thoughtful and really cares about the team and spends a lot of time training staff in the Soul traditions,” Carter says.

“It really is a full-circle moment, I am so pleased it’s Geeling who I am handing over to. The friendship shared by myself, Judith and Geeling is very special.”

Foley Hospitality group chef Gavin Doyle, Geeling Ching and Olivia Carter.

It’s been nearly 40 years since Ching and Tabron’s working relationship started.

After starring in Bowie’s video, Gloss and feature film Illustrious Energy, Ching joined Tabron at her first restaurant, Rameses in Newmarket.

“It was between another guy and me, and Jude’s father, Gerald, advised her to choose me because I might bring a bit of extra publicity to her restaurant,” Ching says.

The pair went on to work together at SkyCity, before going their separate ways professionally in the mid 90s.

Ching worked as a studio manager for South Pacific Studios under the late John Barnett and says, “I swore I would never work in hospitality again”.

In 2000, when Tabron was set to open Soul, Ching said “no way, I’m not coming back to hospitality.” But she did agree to have lunch with Tabron at the restaurant.

“By the time lunch had finished, I had signed the contract,” Ching says. “Judith can be very persuasive.”

Ching says she and Tabron worked together creating the Soul culture, refining the product.

Geeling Ching and Judith Tabron host a Veuve party at Soul in 2007. Photo / Norrie Montgomery

“It wasn’t an instant success – we worked really hard to make it become the icon it is today,” Ching says.

“Geeling and I used to joke that our working relationship lasted longer than both of our first marriages combined,” Tabron says. “We worked together across two restaurants over more than 20 years, and throughout that time she’s always been an incredibly inspiring manager, trainer and leader.”

During her time at Soul, Ching dipped her foot back into acting, and in 2008 was a contestant on Dancing with the Stars.

Geeling Ching was a contestant on Dancing with the Stars in 2008.

After 12 years with Tabron, Ching went on to open Huami at Sky City, Crew Club (now Lula Inn), and the ASB Waterfront Theatre, where she was director of visitor experience.

She came back to Soul in 2020, almost by chance, thanks to a lockdown 60th birthday party Tabron threw for her. Carter was one of the guests for the small group gathering, and Ching mentioned she had seen the job ad for Soul’s operations manager. Tabron had sold the restaurant two years earlier, and Carter had progressed to GM.

“I mentioned my interest in the role, and to my delight, Olivia said yes.”

Geeling Ching, Judith Tabron and Olivia Carter at Soul’s famous Melbourne Cup day last decade. Photo / Norrie Montgomery

Six years later, with Ching working across the extended Foley Hospitality venues, she initially didn’t think about taking over the GM role herself when Carter announced her departure.

“However, Soul is in my blood, and I couldn’t let an opportunity like this go by.”

She says she now wants to build on Tabron and Carter’s legacies and create something special that can be carried on by whoever steps into her shoes in the future.

Carter was supposed to finish at Easter; however, with Ching handing over her group OM duties to Shar Fonseca and having a planned trip to New York, the official handover is this week.

Geeling Ching in 2012, before she left Soul as operations manager.

Ching says there are exciting things to come for the waterfront institution, including a renovation “in the not-too distant future”, so she is on the lookout for an inspirational designer who “gets Soul”.

“Soul is a unique place, that has seen hundreds of thousands of guests and thousands of hospitality workers,” Ching says.

“It’s like a really long-running soap opera – ever-changing, ever evolving, while still remaining reliable.”

Ching says Soul has been part of her life for decades, making her one of many “Soul long-timers” who are “Soul through and through”.

She’s well connected in Auckland, having lived in a city apartment for 20 years.

“I love the city, I have seen the heart of the city change from great to so-so, and I know its best is yet to come.”

Geeling Ching poses for Viva at her inner-city apartment in 2017. Photo / Babiche Martens

Party People of the Week

The Star Gala

Starship Foundation’s Star Gala took place at the Auckland Town Hall last Saturday night, raising $3.65m for Starship Child Health. The money will go towards creating advanced cell and gene therapies for New Zealand children with cancer.

CEO Joanna Simon worked with event producers janda Productions to bring a Surrealist Garden theme to life, with a four-course fine-dining menu created by Blue Duck Station’s chef Jack Cashmore.

MCs Oscar Kightley and Teuila Blakely introduced a variety of entertainment, including dance performances by Identity Dance Company, music by Naomi Ferguson, Deborah Wai Kapohe, Troy Kingi and the Light Bringers, and Sir Dave Dobbyn, as well as a powerful monologue by Lord of the Rings’ star Andy Serkis.

Taika Waititi, Phoebe Gittins, Mel Booth, Andy Serkis, Janine Hedley, Philippa Boyens, Cliff Curtis, Arty Papageorgiou, James Friend and Lorraine Ashbourne at the Star Gala. Photo / Alisha Lovrich

Rich Lister guests included Graeme and Robyn Hart, Gretchen and Duncan Hawkesby, Sir Brendan and Lady Jo Lindsay, Ross and Josephine Green, Ross and Dallas Pendergrast, and Sharon Hunter and Tenby Powell.

Others in attendance included Dame Helen Winkelmann, founder and director at Mount Capital, Tommy Seton and his wife Caroline, Property developer John Darby and his partner, interior designer Sally Ridge, and Air NZ CEO Nikhil Ravishankar.

Andy Serkis, who is in New Zealand filming The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum, was joined by his wife Lorraine Ashbourne, screenwriter Philippa Boyens, and Kiwi stars Taika Waititi and Cliff Curtis.

Graeme and Robyn Hart with Gretchen and Duncan Hawkesby at the Star Gala. Photo / Alisha Lovrich Dallas and Ross Pendergrast. Photo / Alisha LovrichDame Helen Winkelmann and Martin Wiseman. Photo / Alisha Lovrich Tommy and Caroline Seton, Josephine and Ross Green. Photo / Alisha Lovrich John Darby, Sally Ridge, Amelia Beder and Astin Parore. Photo / Alisha LovrichNikhil Ravishankar and Catherine Chakiath. Photo / Alisha Lovrich Taika Waititi and Cliff Curtis. Photo / Alisha Lovrich Fiona and Peter Thompson. Photo / Alisha LovrichStarship Foundation CEO Joanna Simon and Starship Clinical Director Dr John Beca. Photo / Alisha Lovrich Sharon Hunter and Tenby Powell. Photo / Alisha LovrichHaydn, George, Sharon, Freddie, Avie Skye and Jenn Bensch. Photo / Alisha Lovrich

Ricardo Simich has been with the Herald since 2008 where he contributed to The Business Insider. In 2012 he took over Spy at the Herald on Sunday, which has since evolved into Society Insider. The weekly column gives a glimpse into the worlds of the rich and famous.