YES,CHEFS!

BAZAAR talks to three of the hottest names in Singapore's culinary scene to get the hot, hard truths of the trade.

- AARON KOK

Before you tuck into your next meal, here are some numbers that offer you some food for thought:

According to the Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority (ACRA), there are 3,301 food businesses as of October 2024. To date, there are over 5,660 restaurants operating in Singapore—that’s eight restaurants on average in every square kilometre of our tiny red dot. For the year of 2024 up till September, the Department of Statistics tracked over $8.8 billion in sales generated from food and beverage sales.

Clearly, we are a nation of people united by our love affair with food. Yet, the reality is that F&B continues to be a challenging industry for even the toughest. The looming shadow of inflation has made the impact of every dollar spent feel heavier on many, leading more Singaporeans to scale down on dining out. Plus, with new restaurants sprouting up everyday, there is an outsized supply of available options that creates potentially unsustainable competition.

Yet in spite of the challenging terrain that greets F&B businesses, what drives chefs to keep on keeping on? We speak to three chefs who’ve captured our attention (and appetites) with their innovative and passionate approach to feeding people.

There’s Matteo Pertoldi, who left his career as an engineer to open ÁTIPICO. This year, Pertoldi launched ÁTIPICO Room #15 at the lifestyle hub New Bahru, giving his customers a way to experience his ethos of elevated casual dining through a spatial manifestation of the brand.

There’s also Law Jia Jun, the chef-owner of Province who has spent time in the kitchens of three-Michelin-starred Atelier Crenn and Manresa. For Law, his passion lies in marrying the local and regional ingredients within the language of fine dining.