We are all familiar with Marco Pierre White, Gordon Ramsay and Anthony Bourdain – it seems like many well-known personalities in the Food & Beverage (F&B) industry are male, even in Singapore.
Yet, this may not necessarily be so. Here are 6 female Singaporean food entrepreneurs who are breaking stereotypes and brewing up a storm in the scene. From well-known chefs, established businesswomen to emerging food artists, get inspired by the stories behind these lady bosses.
1. Janice Wong
Janice Wong is not just a chef.
A firm believer of the idea that ‘your world is your imagination’, she is also an artist who sets out to break boundaries with dessert.
The student from Le Cordon Bleu Paris – one of the best culinary schools in the world – creates edible art installations that transform spaces in Singapore and overseas, and has a few restaurants and bars under her belt in Singapore, Hong Kong and Japan.
At 24, the chef/artist/entrepreneur was first spurred to open 2am: dessertbar in Holland V because she was unhappy with how desserts were never the highlight of the meal.
Fast forward years later, from Janice Wong Singapore flagship restaurant at National Museum, Mochis and Chocolate collections at Paragon, to the Janice Wong Dessert Bar in Tokyo and COBO HOUSE by 2am: dessertbar in Hong Kong, her range of restaurants and bars now spans Singapore and beyond.
2. Lyn Lee
Lyn Lee is a well-known food entrepreneur in Singapore and overseas, having founded Awfully Chocolate.
Deeply dissatisfied by the chocolate cake options in Singapore with “chocolate flavouring or some synthetic tasting thing”, the chocolate connoisseur pursued her dream of creating the ultimate chocolate cake for people to enjoy.
Armed with this resolve, Lyn left her career as her lawyer in 1998 to open a cake shop in Katong, which sold only one cake at that time – a simple, indulgent dark chocolate cake.
Not only has Awfully Chocolate become a household name now, Lyn has also created other F&B concepts, such as Everything With Fries and Loola.
3. Pamela Chng
Pamela Chng combined her love for specialty coffee and social enterprises by founding Bettr Barista Coffee Academy in 2011, a social enterprise that trains underprivileged youth and women for the coffee industry in Singapore.
Previously a co-founder of a web consulting company, she made a big career switch because she felt that it made sense to create a social business around connecting people, communities and environments with coffee – something she was intensely passionate about.
She took a year off in 2010, traveling to different countries to learn more about the craft of specialty coffee.
Five years later, Bettr Barista is the first Singaporean business to become a Certified B Corporation in 2015, a stamp of recognition that the company has made significant contribution to the global movement to use businesses as a force for good.
Since 2011, Bettr Barista has trained more than 3,000 people from 26 countries and conducted over 800 courses and workshops. Talk about using passion to change lives!
4. Kino Soh
Award-winning bartender Kino Soh is well-known in the local scene, having co-founded Hopscotch and done stints at FRESH!.
But that’s not enough for the finalist in the Singapore edition of the Diageo World Class 2016 – she has brought #girlpower to the next level by starting Highball, Singapore’s first highball-focused cocktail bar with an all-female bartending crew.
The all-female concept was inspired by Kino Soh’s observation of the bartending scene in Thailand and Hong Kong , where female bartenders are more common. This drove her to create an inspiring space where aspiring female bartenders in Singapore can freely chase their dreams in a respectable environment.
Highball makes a bold statement of sophisticated simplicity, celebrating the evolution of highballs, which are simple cocktails made from a spirit and carbonated mixer.
But whether you’re there for a refreshing highball or a fancy craft cocktail, Kino Soh and her team have you covered. In fact, Highball Bangkok recently opened its doors in Asok this year, so check it out if you’re in the Land of Smiles!
5. Lynette Zheng
Tired of boring egg dishes? Crack is a novel concept that serves up a street-style egg-centric dishes with a local twist – think Otah Scotch Eggs with homemade cuttlefish otah!
Lawyer-turned-chef-entrepreneur Lynette Zheng is one of the three masterminds behind these crazy yet comforting creations. Inspired by Eggslut in Los Angeles, they started small, testing the concept in pop-up events like the Kranji Farmers’ Market and Singapore Night Festival.
Lynette Zheng was not professionally trained in the kitchen, but the self-starter learnt various techniques by studying and experimenting at home. What’s more, she has also served stints in local kitchens like Brussels Sprouts in order to get more experience.
With Crack being awarded an incubator space at Timbre+ from December this year, egg-lovers can look forward to more mouth-watering inventions!
6. Charlotte Wang
Guac & Go is an avocado-themed food cafe born behind owner Charlotte Wang’s personal need for more healthy and great-tasting foods in Singapore.
Charlotte survived kidney cancer in her childhood, which has made her conscious of her diet. She strongly believes that healthy food should taste good as well, and a conversation with her boyfriend about the lack of such choices in Singapore led to the opening of Guac & Go in 2014, when she was just 21 years old.
Nestled in a corner of Maxwell Road and inspired by Chipotle in the United States, Guac & Go is a cozy gem for health food freaks in Singapore.
The cafe changes its seasonal menu frequently, with its range of dishes concocted from Superfoods like chia seeds, quinoa, pumpkin, salmon, eggs and of course, avocado!
