A taste of things to come

SOME OF THE MOST progressive chefs and restaurateurs from across the world will come together in Singapore |from March 6 to 8 to |tackle the challenges of the contemporary gastronomic sphere.
During the course of four days, the globally recognised line-up will explore ideas of modernity and cultural identity, discuss the tension between tradition and innovation and debate the future of the avant-garde, creating a vision for our future dining in the process. The event offers discerning diners, aspiring chefs and foodies a series of unique opportunities to learn, taste, interact and experience from the very best.
The programme is made up of three key events: a summit conference, a selection of one-off Masterclasses and series of Maestro Dinners.
The culinary conference, titled “The New Modern: 2015 and Beyond”, takes place on March 8. It features leading chefs from Asia and beyond discussing the future of cooking, and debating whether the Asian avant-garde is here to stay.
Four masterclasses will be held on the mornings of March 8 and 9 March, with some of the world’s leading chefs, restaurateurs and wine experts hosting live and interactive cooking and tasting sessions for guests.
For the Maestro Dinners series, Virgilio Martinez of Central in Lima, Gaggan Anand of Gaggan in Bangkok and Daniel Humm of Eleven Madison Park in New York will team up with Singapore’s finest chefs and restaurants to host collaborative dinners over |the entire weekend.
“I value quality ingredients over all other aspects of cooking, something I learned from my mother and chefs I worked for at a young age,” Humm tells XP.
“Quality ingredients are the foundation of any good cooking, and we’re devoted to using those specifically from New York. It’s the delicious local ingredients that inspire us every day and we celebrate these in our menu.
“More cooking with a sense of place will continue, especially across the many regions of America. South American cuisines have arrived, Scandinavian cuisine and style continues to be heavily adopted around the world – it’s an exciting time to be in the food world,” the chef enthuses.
Humm, alongside Eleven Madison Park’s manager Will Guidara, will join forces with Singapore’s feted chef Andre Chiang to host a unique collaborative dinner at the intimate Restaurant Andre in China Town on March 6. The New York duo will also make an appearance at the summit on March 8.
The Singapore summit and masterclasses take place in advance of the Asia's 50 Best Restaurants 2015 awards, which are being held on the evening of March 9. Last year, several Bangkok restaurants made it to the list with David Thompson’s Nahm at number one, followed by Gaggan at number three.
Others included Sra Bua by Kiin Kiin at number 21, Bo.Lan at number 28, Issaya Siamese Club at number 31 and Eat Me at number 37.