She's All That

This International Women’s Day, we raise our glasses to these acclaimed female chefs helming some of Singapore’s top tables

- Dawson Tan

LATIN SENSATION

TAMARA CHAVEZ

When it comes to Latin American cuisine, Mexico‑born chef Tamara Chavez is a shining beacon. From being part of the opening team of Mexican fine‑dining restaurant El Mero Mero to helming Asia’s first Peruvian cevicheria Tono as its head chef, Chavez spent the past decade promoting Latin American cuisine in Singapore since she moved here in 2014. Today, she is head chef of Canchita Peruvian Cuisine, the restaurant she set up with her husband and business partner, Daniel Chavez. Whether it is the myriad of tongue‑tingling ceviches (marinated seafood), crispy patacones (fried plantains) or hearty anticuchos (assorted beef skewers), authenticity is of utmost importance to her. And while the menu is extensive enough to feed a fiesta, each dish tangoes well with the lush ambience to evoke a sense of place unlike any other.

RESHAPING NOTIONS

AKANE ENO