MOS Iswaran at the World Gourmet Summit Awards of Excellence Luncheon

OPENING SPEECH BY MR S ISWARAN, MINISTER OF STATE FOR TRADE & INDSUSTRY AT THE WORLD GOURMET SUMMT AWARDS OF EXCELLENCE LUNCHEON ON SATURDAY, 21 APR 2006, 12.10 PM AT SWISSOTEL THE STAMFORD

Distinguished guests, Ladies and gentlemen

Good afternoon

Introduction

It is my pleasure to join you today in celebrating and recognising the best of culinary talent in Singapore and the region – and there is, of course, no better way to do this then over a delectable meal!

Food Culture In Singapore

Allow me to start with a quote from the French philosopher Voltaire.He said “Nothing would be more tiresome than eating and drinking if God had not made them a pleasure as well as a necessity.”Anthropologists will tell us that the reason man started to cook was to make his food more digestible. This would be a rather prosaic even mundane analysis of culinary practice, which today has been transformed from a necessity into a somewhat revered art form.

Our cuisine is an essential element of our lives taking on nutritional, celebratory and even spiritual significance. And, like other aspects of culture such as music and art, cuisine has migrated across national boundaries, finding new homes, form and expression in foreign lands.

In Singapore too, our cuisine is a reflection of the many different cultures that have found, and continue to find, their way to our shores.We have a vibrant food culture and we indulge, round the clock, in our favourite national pastime, be it street-side hawker fare or fine dining in a posh restaurant.You could say that Singaporeans’ love for food defies the laws of physics – it goes beyond the boundaries of space and time!

Branding Singapore Through Food

Singapore’s rich culinary heritage contributes significantly to our international cache. It is embraced by many, including renowned food personalities such as Anthony Bourdain, who wrote of Singapore, “One of the joys of my life is that I am published in Singapore and televised there. This requires me to make frequent visits. The first time, I went for business. By the second time, I’d made friends. Now? I go for the food.” We in Singapore know exactly what he means.

Mr Bourdain would be happy to know that these days one does not have to travel all the way to Singapore to experience our culinary delights. Uniquely Singaporean food is featured prominently at many international events, such as the inaugural Singapore Season held in London in 2005, and the Singapore Tiger Beer Chilli Crab Festival, which takes place annually in Brooklyn, New York. In fact, in a few hours’ time, Singapore Day will be held halfway round the world in New York City’s Central Park.There in the heart of the Big Apple, 12 of Singapore’s best hawkers will be dishing out local specialties such as chicken rice, chwee kueh and Hokkien fried prawn noodles, to an expected turnout of 5,000 people.

Strategic Important of Dining To Tourism And Recent Developments In The Sector

It should therefore come as no surprise that dining, like shopping and entertainment, is a key pillar of tourism in Singapore. In 2005 alone, visitors to Singapore spent more than S$1 billion on food and beverage, making it the third largest tourist expenditure item after shopping and accommodation.

In tandem with this growth, there have been many exciting developments in our restaurant and dining scene over the past year. We witnessed the launch of Il Lido’s private yacht dining concept, and restaurant openings such as Brasserie Wolf at Robertson Quay, and Tung Lok Signatures at VivoCity. BICE (“Bee-Che”) is also back in town with a bistro concept, located within The Cannery at Clarke Quay. Just a couple of doors away, Aurum celebrates the cutting-edge food movement of molecular gastronomy - the application of scientific methods to cooking.The new restaurant clusters at RochesterPark and TanglinVillage have also been well-received.

Many of the pioneers in Singapore’s F&B industry are expanding their businesses and diversifying with new concepts. Emmanuel Stroobant, who was the San Pellegrino Chef of the Year at these awards in 2006, has now added Archangel and Brussel Sprouts to his already very popular Saint Pierre restaurant. And Tung Lok, introduced Garuda Padang Cuisine, a joint venture with the Garuda chain in Indonesia that serves authentic Indonesian Nasi Padang in a contemporary and elegant setting.

Need To Attract And Train F&B Professionals

With these developments and the advent of the two integrated resorts in a few years, manpower demand in the F&B industry is expected to grow rapidly. We estimate that 2007 alone will see 2,500 new F&B jobs being created.

To meet this demand and the overall needs of the tourism sector in general, the Singapore Workforce Development Agency expects to spend about $15 million over the next 3 years delivering programmes, to new and existing workers, under the nationally-recognised Tourism and Food & Beverage Workforce Skills Qualifications (WSQ) system.

Of the $15 million, about $10 million has been set aside to train 1,000 chefs under the CRAFT for Chefs programme.To date, more than 400 from diverse backgrounds have signed up for the programme, reflecting the growing popularity of the profession.One of these aspiring chefs is Mr Lee Sheng Yu, aged 27. Mr Lee used to be a software developer. But spending 10 to 12 hours in front of a computer just wasn't his cup of tea.He found that his passion lay in the culinary arts and he has signed up for the programme.We wish Mr Lee and others like him all the best in their new career.

Impact Of The World Gourmet Summit

The World Gourmet Summit is now in its 11th year.In that time, it has grown in international prominence and this year it is presenting more than 50 events over a three-week period, with chefs who combine for a record total of 12 Michelin stars. I am also very happy to note that a total of 14 local restaurants are participating this year under the partner restaurant programme – a 40% increase from last year.This programme is a good opportunity for our local culinary talent to showcase their skills, and exchange ideas with the gourmets and sommeliers of the world.

Our efforts to woo international F&B players and top chefs to Singapore have also been bolstered by the World Gourmet Summit.Several notable culinary personalities have gone on to collaborate with local partners, as a result of their involvement at the Summit.This includes Paco Roncero, who is Lifebrandz’s consultant in the development of Aurum, as well as Susur Lee and Zhang Jin Jie, who were the creative forces behind the Tung Lok Group’s Club Chinois and My Humble House respectively.

The World Gourmet Summit is also a huge tourist draw. Last year, tourists accounted for approximately one in five diners at the Summit’s events. In fact, a good number of visitors actually attend multiple events during the summit, simply because so many first-rate chefs and renowned F&B personalities have converged here at the same time.The Summit is certainly growing in stature as a premium gourmet festival in the region and beyond.

Conclusion

Hosting first-rate F&B events such as the World Gourmet Summit is an important part of our efforts to brand Singapore as an essential culinary destination for discerning diners, who are willing to pay top dollar for unique dining experiences. It is an effort in which each and every member of the industry has an important role to play.In that context, I would like to congratulate all the award nominees and scholarship recipients this afternoon.We celebrate your achievements and I hope that you and your peers will be inspired to create more culinary delights that will place Singapore firmly on the world map as an Epicurean epicentre!

Thank you, and bon appétit.