“It was a leap of faith,” says Benjamin Lai of ooomahmee, on his decision to embrace F&B full-time. The sentiment was echoed by fellow home chefs who decided to ditch their day jobs to follow their passion for food.
Now, these chefs are going a step further by venturing out of their homes and online businesses to take part in Far East Organisation’s new initiative, Chef X.
If Chef X sounds familiar, that’s because it is the expansion of the successful Baker X programme which supports home-based bakers with a baking studio and cafe at Orchard Central.
Home cooks’ moment to shine
Chef X provides home-based chefs and private dining chefs with a sandbox to operate their own full-fledged commercial restaurant within Clarke Quay Central mall for four or eight weeks. Each resident chef will serve out of a professionally designed F&B space fitted with commercial-grade kitchen equipment, with a dining area that can accommodate up to 24 diners. They pay no rent except for a small maintenance fee. However they will have to provide their own staff, menu and crockery.
Apart from physical resources, resident chefs will be offered guidance from a mentor chef. They can look forward to receiving advice and tips – from menu planning, food presentation and recipe refinements, to business and human resource management, from chef Isaac Tan, head of culinary and product innovations for Commonwealth Concepts, the F&B joint venture between Commonwealth Capital and Far East Organization.
There are five chefs scheduled for the residency from now till February 2025 (four of whom are confirmed).
Royaleys Smoky Boat
Apr 26 to Jun 21
Thursday to Tuesday; 11.30am to 9pm
Chef Sydnee Loue of Royaleys Smoky Boat kicks off the programme with an eight-week residency. What began as thoughtfully prepared food platters shared with family and friends turned into an online business due to their popularity. Smoky Boat Rice, named for their boat-like form, is her signature dish. These banana leaf parcels are stuffed with premium quality rice topped with a range of ingredients (chicken, fish, prawn, or soybean) naturally seasoned with tempered spice pastes, then grilled for a smoky flavour.
Wanting Kimchi
Jul 1 to Aug 26
Operating hours to be announced
From her home kitchen in 2019, former corporate executive Zeng Wanting has built a kimchi brand that has garnered a loyal base of customers. Wild fermented with low-salt, low- sugar and no MSG added, the offerings from Wanting Kimchi offer complex yet comforting home-style flavours. Look forward to bestsellers Signature Cabbage Kimchi, Addictive Apple Kimchi, and Wild Fermented Lemonade. There will also be a selection of hot food, available for dine-in and takeaway. For dinner, patrons can enjoy kimchi jjim – a braised kimchi made with slow-aged, whole-head cabbage kimchi, fresh pork and a cooked-from-scratch stock base.
Popo’s Kitchen
Sep 5 to Oct 30
Operating hours to be announced
Jasmine Foo’s mum (affectionately known as “popo” or grandmother by the younger generation) is the inspiration behind her creations. The home chef creates familiar old-fashioned Chinese dishes which she grew up eating at home. The three-year-old home-based business, which specialises in handcrafted soon kuehs and roast chicken platters, will expand its offerings during its Chef X residency. The signature soon kueh is given new iterations at Chef X, with fillings such as tom yum chicken and kimchi. Other new items to look out for include a sauced mee siam with sambal prawns. The brand’s popular roast chicken will also be available in the form of roasted chicken leg in a variety of flavours. A ginseng whole chicken can also be pre-ordered.
ooomahmee
Dec 16 to Feb 10
Operating hours to be announced
Benjamin Lai pivoted to F&B during the pandemic, specialising in chilled Japanese-style dishes spanning bara chirashi to chilled noodles. At Chef X, he will continue to serve his signatures, but will also be offering a whole new repertoire of hot dishes, thanks to a physical space equipped with a professional kitchen. These include Tori Yuzu Don, Unagi Don and a private dining omakase menu featuring favourites such as the ooomahmee Bomb (negitoro, uni, and caviar over sushi rice), and Snow Crab Chawanmushi.
Chef X is at 6 Eu Tong Sen St, Clarke Quay Central, #03-103/104, Singapore 059817.
