On Deck

Executive Chef Sam Chin of VUE has an innate flair for bringing ingredients to life but beyond the hype and the heart, his myriad of memories from a childhood in Penang to working in elite kitchens, it makes him the dining scene's next power player.

- Bryan Goh

Chef Sam Chin is personable, making you rethink the tropes and tempers associated with his profession. Bearing in mind that whatever we used to think of them, volatile and impenetrable, or currently imagine them to be in a modern context, charming and camera-ready. Chin is, for lack of a better word, nice.

It must be said that being genial to his staff and his team members at VUE is not a carefully cultivated persona. It is part nature and part nurture. Chin's even-tempered personality shines through the most when diners are finicky or overbearing (Chin is a deft hand at executing dishes à la minute). His decadelong experience in the culinary industry taught him that good behaviour fosters a productive environment.

"I am open-minded and democratic. As long as my team members do their jobs and meet their KPIs, I don't micromanage. The kitchen is a tense and stressful enough environment as it is. Being friends rather than their manager allows us to work more effectively together." Where is the line drawn between Chin and his team? The Deputy who dishes out the commands for efficiency, the Commis who cuts and washes, or the Chef de partie who does the presentation? Chin's standards are simple: two heads can make a menu, but three or four in perfect harmony is a fertile ground for ideas to blossom. The chef is no longer the kitchen's star but instead stands on the shoulders of the people who work with him.