Traditional Italian cuisine meets Singaporean flavours in the Week of Italian Cuisine in the World organised by the Italian Embassy in the Asian Republic. The programme drawn up for the occasion includes show cooking, dinners with great chefs, and workshops, as well as special promotions, food and wine tasting events, and cooking lessons.
The people of Singapore are becoming ever more curious when it comes to Italian cuisine. Statistics show that retail sales of Italian food products have increased greatly over the last two years. In addition, Italian restaurants in Singapore now offer a wider take-away range, distributors are introducing new Italian products to the market, and many Singaporeans have begun experimenting with Italian dishes at home.
The Italian Embassy in Singapore aimed to put together a Week based on openness, dedicated to a creative comparison of identities. One should bear in mind that the lively hawker-centres – the characteristic street food markets in Singapore – are central in Singaporean society. Then again, this year at the Venice Architecture Biennial the Singapore pavilion focussed on them for its fitting out, as a place for comparing and sharing tastes, flavours, and cultures.
The Week’s planned events include: three video interviews on Italian ice-cream maker Marco Alfero (“Alfero Gelato”) who has been working in Singapore since 2011, Japanese chef Seita Nakahara (whose “Terra” Italian restaurant in Singapore boasts one Michelin star), and famous Singaporean pasta artisan Lee Yum Hwa (“Ben Fatto 95”), as well as Show Cooking involving winner of Masterchef Italy Tiziana Stefanelli, and winner of Masterchef Singapore, Zander Ng.
Among the various initiatives, one that stands out is the launch of the “At-Sunrice GlobalChef Academy” that promotes Italian catering and Italian wine and food products by organising cooking courses and shared experiences dedicated to the finest fare Italy has to offer: workshops for children and adults, specialist seminars, food and wine tasting, star-rated dinners, and charity events. Leading figures include, Angelo Ciccone, Executive Chef at the Regent Hotel Singapore, Michele Greggio, Executive Chef at the Pan Pacific Singapore, Fabio Granata, Sous Executive Chef at the St. Regis Hotel and Simone Fraternali, Chef Partner at Solo Ristorante.
Those who collaborate in promoting Italian food, along with the Italian Embassy in Singapore, include the Italian Trade Agency in Singapore (ITA), the Italian Chamber of Commerce in Singapore (ICCS), the Italian Cuisine Academy – Singapore, Malaysia, and Indonesia Delegation (AIC), APICS (Italian Cultural Centre Singapore), and the IWG (Italian Women’s Group).