Tell us about your most significant childhood memory.
I remember asking for my first cooking book when I was 8 years old. And every year for my birthday, my parents were bringing me to a new restaurant I had carefully chosen. I think I must have been born with this love for food, and I am fortunate to have this common passion with Singaporeans! My family and my trips over the years inspired me a lot. When I was a kid, I used to eat a lot of different cuisines, from traditional French to Asian, German and Polish.
What do you like about Singapore?
Our multiculturalism is a wonderful strength. It gives us a cutting-edge advantage compared to other nations. The unique combination of people from such a vast variety of backgrounds and cultures is exactly what I love about this country.
What aspects do you think can be improved?
There has been an increasing global demand for personalized services over the past few years. Tourists and businessmen are not only looking for a place to stay, a restaurant to eat or a casino to play in, they look for a good quality of service as well, which is lacking in Singapore. People want to be entertained and stimulated rather than just pampered. While spoiling was often a top priority, this is no longer the case. New expectations have emerged for more active holidays and experiential journeys; they are not new in Europe and North America, but have still to mature in Asia. If we want to be even better, we must work out on the quality of service provided. Grooming and attracting new and experienced talents is a national issue to me.
What inspires you to set up a new restaurant?
I draw my inspiration from everything I see, people I meet, but also travel, books and various moments. Passion has also served to inspire and drive me since the very beginning of my career. I have always been passionate about hospitality: some people were born with a passion for design, other for IT; I was born with this passion for F&B.
What kind of experience do you craft for your customers, and how do you do it?
When we think of a new concept, it’s always with our customers’ expectations in mind. As I said before, people are not only looking for good cuisine but also for a whole experience. From cooking, to the ambience and including the interior design, a restaurant must be in osmosis with the area it is in. Consumers are increasingly looking for an added benefit to their food: not only does it have to taste good, but the environment they sit in to eat must make them feel good. The rules have changed! Restaurants are not only places where you come to eat, but also unforgettable experiences to live.
Where is your favorite place to dine and why?
Any table around which I am seated with my friends and/or family enjoying a good meal with fine wines. The moments in I love most in life are the ones I spend at home around the dining table or in a restaurant. Good friends and good food is the best combination.
What advice would you give to a restaurateur who’s only just starting out?
“Don’t start!” (haha) Well, jokes aside, I think a restaurateur developing her own unique concept has to be sure that it is strong and a concept that Singaporeans will be receptive towards. The F&B industry is very competitive, especially in Singapore, and being able to maintain the standard and sustain the business is the real key. She needs to consider not just the recipes and quality of food, but also the entire ambience of the restaurant, how the design echoes the food, the service and eventually the entire brand image. Too many interesting concepts had failed to hold on to one or more of these elements and ended up unable to sustain the business, which is such a pity.
