Ng (right) demonstrates how to cook his handmade traditional Hakka Yong Tau Foo while Muller looks on.
KUCHING (Aug 26): The Singapore Food Festival (SFF) is back in its 28th edition and will be held over three weekends from Aug 27 to Sept 12.
Themed ‘Savour Singapore in Every Bite’, the festival will feature over 50 virtual and physical elements centered around the themes of local favourites, Singapore’s award-winning and established culinary talents and restaurants, budding chefs as well as sustainability featuring farm to table experiences highlighting locally sourced produce and plant-based alternatives.
Singapore Tourism Board (STB) director (Retail and Dining) Serene Tan said this year’s SFF also marks the first time that a hybrid format will be introduced to the festival which will be going global.
“We are expanding our footprint locally working with various partners to activate SFF across the island. Beyond our shores, we will also be holding satellite SFF events in different cities such as Bangkok, Jakarta, Shanghai, New York and beyond.
“Over time, we hope to grow the festival into a global platform to showcase our diverse and unique F&B offerings as well as the skills of Singapore’s culinary talents,” she said in a media preview held over Zoom recently.
Serene Tan
Tan said the decision to introduce a hybrid format to SFF was so that both local and international audiences can engage in the festival safely amidst the Covid-19 pandemic.
“The hybrid format allows us to reach a global audience with our virtual content, satellite events as well as product exclusives that’s available in 11 cities.
“It’s important for us to continue to allow this international audience to partake in our food culture from afar, keep Singapore on top of their mind so that we can build demand and interest as the market reopens,” she said.
For the locals, she said SFF will have events such as masterclasses, tours and so on which will give festival goers in Singapore the opportunity to rediscover local cuisines and heritage or even uncover some culinary inspiration, talent from the masterclasses.
“Whether it’s a hybrid, virtual or physical format, the spirit of SFF is the same, which is to shine the spotlight on our diverse culinary scene as well as celebrate and honour the people behind the food scene such as our chefs, hawkers, food personalities and businesses,” she added.
(From left) Muller speaks to Shen, Ngooi, Ng and Tan during the question-and-answer session.
This year’s SFF line up comprises four components – live masterclasses, virtual food experiences, partner events and workshops, and SFF food merchandise.
The Live Masterclasses offer viewers the rare opportunity to learn from some of the best chefs, bartenders, and food personalities in Singapore’s culinary scene.
Festival-goers can join the nine free-to-view live masterclasses hosted on SFF 2021’s Facebook page or sign up for intimate and interactive sessions with renowned chefs by joining another nine pay-to-view live masterclasses.
During the media preview hosted by popular food host Nikki Muller, members of the media from various countries were given a sneak peek of what to expect at SFF including cooking demonstrations from Chef Bjorn Shen of Artichoke who whipped up his rendition of the oyster omelette called ‘The Boyster Omelette’; Chef Maxine Ngooi of Tiger Lily Patisserie who brought a twist to the babka loaf, with a stuffing of aromatic buah keluak rempah (spice blend of the seeds of the buah keluak fruit); and Chef Douglas Ng of Fishball Story who presented his handmade traditional Hakka yong tau fu (traditional Hakka dish consisting primarily of tofu filled with ground meat mixture or fish paste).
The trio will be among the thrilling line-up of top names in the F&B scene in Singapore and around Asia.
Selected masterclasses will also offer ingredient boxes and food bundles that participants can purchase and get delivered to their doorstep in Bangkok, Chengdu, Manila and Singapore, allowing them to cook up a storm with their favourite food talent on screen for a truly engaging experience.
As part of SFF, there will also be Virtual Food Experiences in interactive formats for international festival goers who can take a deep dive into the ins-and-outs of innovative businesses such as Kok Fah Farm through a docu-feature, which takes foodies on a tour around the soil and hydroponics farm, and recipe videos like Kitchen Insider: Sustenir, which educate foodies on modern farming in Singapore, suggesting ways to incorporate local produce into everyday dishes, supercharging it with nutrition.
Additionally, foodies can look forward to a journey of rediscovery as they feast their eyes on delectable dishes in the virtual food tours of Little India and Tiong Bahru presented by Muller.
For a full list of activities, please visit www.singaporefoodfestival.sg.