April 2025
From farm to table, top chefs are adopting sustainable practices in the culinary world. In celebration of Earth Day on 22 April, we discover how partner-chefs of The Culinaire's List, curated for DBS Insignia Cardmembers, are innovating to source responsibly, reduce waste, retain talent, and support artisans in a bid to create a more responsible future of gastronomy.
At Seroja, even the husk of the corn is used. Chef Kevin Wong’s Cameron Highland sweet corn ice cream sandwich has its wafer made from corn husk
“At restaurants with large operations where I used to work, we’d throw away a lot of things daily—a tomato just because it’s not round,” reveals Chef Nicolas Tam of Willow.
In Singapore, according to the Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment, we import 90% of our food. But our food waste was a staggering 755,000 tonnes in approximate in 2023. Fortunately, food waste management and reporting are now legislated for sizable establishments.
Many chef heroes are standing up to advocate for a more sustainable way of operating—and it’s making an impact.
Chefs including Massimo Bottura have answered this call of duty. In 2016, Massimo and his wife, Lara Gilmore, created a lauded cultural project: Food for Soul, envisioning an inclusive world where no food is wasted via their famous soup kitchen Refettorio. With dishes made from surplus ingredients, Refettorio feeds the society’s underserved in 13 locations, living up to its name, which means to ‘re-make’ and ‘restore’.
Chefs such as Louis Han of Nae:um are embracing whole ingredient utilisation, ensuring minimal waste from skin to bone
When asked what sustainability means to some of our partner-chefs on The Culinaire’s List, various aspects of the word spring to mind.
Chef Kevin Wong of Seroja, which bagged Singapore’s first Michelin Green Star in 2023 for its sustainable practices, shares, “As a young chef, we never even knew what we were learning was called ‘sustainability’. Being sustainable is basically being responsible”.
This extends beyond ingredient sourcing. Chef Kevin goes on to share that it is also about “the culture of the restaurant; the welfare of the team, how they progress; how you build a restaurant in terms of materials; and your waste management”.
Chef Jitin Joshi creatively reinvents unused trimmings by transforming them into flavourful powders and salts (Credit: Revolver)
Group Executive Chef and Partner of Revolver Singapore and Dubai, Chef Jitin Joshi, shares similar sentiments, “To me, sustainability means not exhausting resources and being mindful when consuming, be it food, fuel, tableware, or linens.”
While the zero-waste lifestyle is extremely trendy right now, with over 11 million hashtags on Instagram, Chef Kevin offers a realistic perspective. He does not believe in the term “zero waste”, explaining that “minimal waste is more honest”. He exemplifies with his Barbeque Duck Percik. “We use the duck breast for its meat; and bones for the sauce. We smoke the whole legs. But we can’t serve the beak nor the tongue—there’s only one (small) tongue, and the beak can’t be consumed. So we can never be zero waste. We can only try to utilise as much as possible.”
Abalones at Nae:um are sourced from sustainable suppliers who farm according to demand
While seasonal ingredients are sought after, chefs are often going straight to the source to know how the produce is grown or caught. Here are some of what they have shared:
Choose hand-caught or farmed: “Our scallop supplier sends divers down to pick only the right-sized ones, they only pick what we need; and not during stormy seasons, as they take care of their divers,” shares Chef Kevin.
Look out for sustainable farming methods: “We try to look for vendors sourcing from those with sustainable farming methods,” says Chef Louis Han of Nae:um Group, which includes Nae:um, private dining Hideaway by Nae:um, and Gu:um contemporary grill.
Practise the Japanese wabi-sabi philosophy of accepting imperfection: “Ingredients should be natural, not overly manipulated; we use a produce even if odd shaped,” shares Chef Nicolas of the one-Michelin-starred Willow.
Whole ingredient utilisation: Vanilla pods at Nae:um are fermented to reveal rich, complex flavours that unlock their full potential
Be mindful from the start: “We try to take a sensible approach to monitoring our ordering, sourcing as much as possible locally, and minimising waste by utilising every part of each ingredient. We use coconut shells to smoke our ingredients, fruit skins to make fermented pastes, dry out trimmings to create powders and salts, and these are just a few examples. By purchasing whole fish and poultry, we ensure the entire animal is used, including its skin and bones,” says Chef Jitin.
Be circular and find uses for trimmings: “I train my team to understand how in nature, everything is a cycle. And I give them ideas on how to use each part of a produce. If there are trimmings that may not be as aesthetically pleasing to be served to guests, they are nevertheless still delicious, and such fresh produce can be used for our team’s family meals,” says Chef Louis.
Avoid non-sustainable ingredients: “It is heartening to see that as an industry, chefs are moving away from non-sustainable components such as foie gras and shark's fin,” adds Chef Louis.
Sustainability extends beyond resources as Chef Nicolas Tam incorporates it in his practices too (Credit: Willow)
In terms of practices and all things other than food:
Use biodegradable or at least reusable: "We use reusable airtight boxes to keep the ingredients. We don’t sous vide, and we don’t carry any single-use plastic—I just feel it’s very wasteful," says Chef Nicolas.
“Our dishwashing liquid is environmentally friendly. In Gu:um, our sister steakhouse where takeaway is possible, we use biodegradable packaging,” shares Monica Wijaya, Co-Founder of Nae:um and wife of Chef Louis.
Choose energy-efficient appliances: “Due to the nature of a restaurant, food storage consumes energy 24/7, so we have adopted energy-efficient equipment,” shares Chef Louis.
Consider conservation buildings or locations with BCA Green Mark certification: “Born is housed in the former Jinrikisha Station in the Tanjong Pagar conservation area, we strive to be energy efficient; our building is designed for plenty of sunlight to enter, so we use adjustable lights,” explains Chef Zor Tan of Born.
Compost to reduce waste: “We invested in a small compost machine. Frankly, the amount of compost we can generate is only 15 per cent to 20 per cent of our waste because we can only put in what’s organic, but still, we try,” relates Chef Kevin.
Staff meals post opportunities for staff to take turns cooking creatively and freely in the kitchen (Credit: Seroja)
Keeping the soul of the restaurant also means the team stays as one, as much as possible. In present times of high employee turnover and partners losing their businesses, how do our partners retain talent?
Create opportunities for growth: “Being sustainable includes prioritising team welfare, nurturing employees, and creating opportunities for future generations to choose hospitality as a career path. To support this, we work closely with culinary schools and develop internship programmes,” shares Chef Jitin.
"Not everything is dictated by me. I let the team streamline their own processes and come up with their own creations-–I think that’s important since they are the ones executing the tasks. That’s how I help them grow," opines Chef Nicolas.
Supporting local artisans is integral to Chef Kevin's vision
Support artisans: “We try to work with local artisans. I have encountered amazing artisans but a lot of them don’t really make money out of their crafts, they can only do it as a hobby. The vision and aim at Seroja is also to support all these talented craftsmen, to contribute to the sustainability of their craftsmanship,” says Chef Kevin. On the menu at Seroja, a QR code leads one to discover the artisans and farmers they work with, from florists to carpenters, fishermen to farmers.
When asked if he has any special advice for us, Chef Kevin shares, “We just want every day to be consistent.” Beyond Earth Day, these chefs have left us with much to think about when it comes to practicing sustainability on a daily basis, from picking the right, responsible restaurants to support, to practices that we can adopt in our own kitchens.
Especially for DBS Insignia Cardmembers, The Culinaire’s List is a celebration of Singapore’s vibrant culinary scene through our partnership with both Michelin-starred restaurants and hidden gems. Be updated on Singapore’s fine dining scene through our monthly editorial series, The Culinary Canvas, where we bring you the narratives of each chef, their dishes, their inspiration for a finer appreciation of their culinary creations.
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