Locavore In A Concrete Jungle

Chefs in Singapore face challenges from many sides when championing local produce in their dishes. Will our locavore movement be more than just a passing culinary fad?

- Michelle Yee

Consider the world’s most storied farm-to-table restaurants: Chez Panisse (Berkeley, California), L’Arôme (Provence, France) and Fäviken (Järpen, Sweden). They’re all located close to agricultural lands that are rich not just in quantity, but also in quality and variety. Menus vary with the seasons. At one-Michelin-starred L’Arôme, for instance, chef Thomas Boullault serves two “surprise starters” on his degustation menu based on the seasonal produce available at the local market each day.

Even though Singapore has no actual season to speak of, there’s a growing cadre of chefs helming restaurants that tout farm-totable—or locavore—cuisine.

“Many chefs have begun sourcing local plants, flowers, herbs and leaves, and I, too, have also started sourcing local organic flowers, which are the jewels of my dishes. However, it is very difficult to source all ingredients locally. I completely support and respect my peers in England who source everything from no more than a five-mile radius from their restaurant, and if I could do the same, I would as it supports the local community and ensures the best quality,” shares Kirk Westaway, chef de cuisine of modern British restaurant Jaan.

Climate aside, discerning diners might be tempted to think that such talk is merely hot air. After all, the city-state has little land devoted to agricultural ventures, and it currently imports 92 percent of its vegetables and fish, according to the Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority of Singapore.

Chef Tan Ken Loon of The Naked Finn and Nekkid Bar echoes this view. He says that while the locavore movement here has it merits, “supporting local produce might be seen as doing so more for the purposes of marketing or publicity”, as opposed to a purely culinary philosophy devoid of pretension.

HARDER THAN IT LOOKS