GREEN VALUES

A shared passion for sustainability brought Christina Rasmussen and Sasha Wijidessa together as business and life partners. The co-founders of plant-forward gastro bar Fura share how they have established their partnership in the culinary industry.

When Christina Rasmussen signed on to work full-time with the world-acclaimed restaurant Noma in Copenhagen in 2017, she never thought that her job as a forager would open her eyes to the ruinous impact of human activities on the environment.

“There is this forest, Rude Skov, located on the outskirts of Copenhagen, where we sourced for ingredients. It’s a breathtaking place with thin, majestic trees. The following year, it was all cut down for a mountain bike trail. The impact was devastating – the once vibrant place turned barren,” recounts the 27-year-old, who left Noma in 2021, and joined Copenhagen-based dining group Ark Collection as general manager that same year.

“My job as a forager was tied closely to seasonal changes, weather events, and human intervention. I’ve developed a deep relationship with nature, and seeing these drastic changes unfold due to human intervention or environmental alterations is truly heartbreaking,” says Christina, who grew up in Princeton, New Jersey, and moved to Copenhagen in 2016 for an internship at Noma.

Sitting next to her in Fura’s cosy lounge area on the second storey of an Amoy Street shophouse is 28-year-old Sasha Wijidessa, Christina’s work and life partner. She does not mince her words about the urgency of tackling climate change today – something that she feels has fallen on the shoulders of the younger generation.

“Some people seem to have this perception that it’s not a problem for them right now, although it will become a major issue down the road. Living in Copenhagen really opened my eyes, especially coming from Singapore, where we lack a real connection to agriculture,” she says.