Savour Events’ executive director Darren Chen tells Karen Yue how his gourmet festivals are helping to raise Singapore’s culinary industry profile
Singapore prides itself as a gourmet paradise. But with so many destinations in Asia-Pacific now shouting about their dining prowess, can Singapore continue to defend its title in the years to come?
Singapore needs to continue to innovate to stay ahead of the game. Our Savour festivals are now in seven major cities and everywhere we go, we see new innovation in the realm of culinary in each of these cities.
What is Savour Events doing to celebrate Singapore’s dining scene and culinary talents?
Our Savour festival, first launched in 2012, was the first of its kind to make Michelin-star cuisine accessible to a larger audience. We hope that by bringing fine dining to the masses, it will inspire the next Singapore culinary superstar.
Currently, our overseas festivals form the platform for Singapore restaurants and chefs to showcase their talents to other markets. We don’t run our festival to “celebrate” local talent – that means nothing. Everything we do has a long-term view of what we would like to achieve for the industry.
What can business event groups leverage on to add value to their programmes?
Our festivals have a strong interactive feel – every participant is involved in their own way, whether it is taking part in a culinary activity or going on their own culinary adventure through our various restaurants and cuisines. Companies already do corporate buy-outs at our festivals to entertain their top customers.
Can you tell us more about the Savour Festivals expanding beyond Singapore?
In 2017, Savour will be in Beijing, Shanghai, Chengdu, Hong Kong and Macau. In 2018, we will add Taipei and Bangkok to that list. We aim to expand our network to more key Asia-Pacific cities in the coming years.
