Mr Lee Yi Shyan at the Chef RAS 2006 Culinary Competition Cum Gala Dinner

SPEECH BY MR LEE YI SHYAN, MINISTER OF STATE FOR TRADE AND INDUSTRY, AT THE CHEF RAS 2006 CULINARY COMPETITION CUM GALA DINNER ON SUNDAY, 30 JULY 2006, AT 7.30 PM AT THE RAFFLES BALLROOM, RAFFLES CITY CONVENTION CENTRE

Mr Ang Kiam Meng

President, Restaurant Association of Singapore (RAS)

Distinguished Guests

Ladies and Gentlemen

Good Evening

I am pleased to join you this evening for the Chef RAS 2006 culinary competition. I congratulate RAS for organizing this inaugural event, which is an exciting showcase of the industry’s creative talents. Chef RAS is aptly held in conjunction with the Singapore Food Festival, which is a signature event celebrating the vibrancy of our F&B scene.

F&B an integral part of Singapore economy and life

The F&B industry is a vital part of our economy. There are some 4,500 F&B establishments in Singapore employing about 65,000 people. F&B contributed nearly $3.9 billion in operating receipts and $1.25 billion in value-add in 2004.On average, F&B accounts for about 14% of tourist spending in Singapore.

Beyond the economic contribution, the F&B scene is an important facet of our lifestyle. We are a food-loving nation, and Singapore is already known as a food paradise for many of our tourists. We can do more to build up a vibrant and creative F&B scene that will contribute to the overall Singapore experience for locals and visitors. Let us work towards offering a spectrum of exciting and delightful dining experiences, comparable to that of the world’s leading cities.

Upgrading the F&B industry

To bring our F&B industry to the next level, we need to address three key areas. These are: attracting talents, improving cuisine offerings and enhancing service quality. Let me elaborate.

Attract culinary talents through raising professional standards and prestige

First, the F&B industry needs to overcome the challenge of attracting and retaining talents. Tonight, we focus on the chef profession. We need to raise the standards and prestige of this profession, to encourage more Singaporeans to see it as a viable career option with growth prospects.

I am glad to note that the industry, the Government and institutions have worked on various training and certification programmes for aspiring chefs and existing chefs seeking upgrading. Today, there is a multitude of courses offered by different institutes such as the Institute of Technical Education (ITE), the Singapore Hotel and Tourism Education Centre (SHATEC), the RAS Training Centre, SIM University (UniSIM), as well as Temasek Polytechnic in collaboration with the Culinary Institute of America.

The other aspect of attracting culinary talent is to profile our outstanding chefs, and create more opportunities for exposure and learning. The Chef RAS plays an important role here, showcasing our local talents and encouraging exchange of ideas on various types of cuisines. Another platform is the annual World Gourmet Summit, which lets our local chefs work together with top global culinary talents.

Leveraging on multi-cultural heritage to improve cuisine offerings

Second, we can leverage on our rich multi-cultural influences to improve and increase our cuisine offerings. Being at the crossroads of culinary traditions, we have the basic ingredients, which can be put together with a touch of creative flair, to serve up tantalizing new tastes.

I hope the Chef RAS will encourage our local chefs to be more innovative in their cuisine creations, to think “out-of-the-wok". Who knows, we may even discover Singapore’s very own Ferran Adria or Heston Blumenthal, who can become top talents in the culinary world.

Need to enhance dining experience with quality service

Third, we need to ensure service quality for an overall delightful dining experience for local as well as visitor clientele. Indeed, service excellence is gaining importance as the competitive tool for business success. Good service together with good food will leave a pleasant and lasting impression on the diner. This will in turn translate into more repeat customers and higher revenues for restaurants. There is no reason why Singapore’s restaurants cannot be known for being among the best for service in Asia. If we put in concerted efforts, we will see obvious results within 5 years.

Private sector to lead in driving industry growth

While the Government supports the development of the F&B industry, we would like industry players as well as the associations to take the lead. Chef RAS is one good example of an initiative by the industry, for the industry. Beyond RAS, this event is significant for the entire F&B industry. For the first time, it brings together all the F&B associations, namely, RAS, the Singapore Chefs Association, the Indian Restaurants Association of Singapore and the Society of Chinese Cuisine. Such platforms encourage the associations and their members to learn from each other and explore partnership opportunities.

RAS has garnered support for its industry development efforts under the Local Enterprise and Association Development (or LEAD) Programme by SPRING Singapore and IE Singapore. The LEAD programme can provide co-funding to support RAS’ own upgrading and professionalization, as well as industry-wide upgrading such as skills and talent development, resource and capability development in areas like service and innovation. I would like to urge RAS to help Singapore’s F&B industry to achieve a name in being creative and innovative, and having impeccable service.

Finally, let me congratulate all the teams in this milestone competition. Whether or not you emerge as the champion, we applaud you all as winners in your own right, coming up with new creations to bring us to greater heights of culinary excellence. I shall not keep everyone waiting; I am sure you are as eager as I am to tuck into the feast of creative delectable.

Thank you and bon appetit.