25, Co-founder and Chef of Kausmo
Inspired by her time at award-winning farm-to-table Maine restaurant Primo, this 2019 World Gourmet Summit Rising Female Chef nominee puts sustainability front and centre at Kausmo, the restaurant she co-founded with friend Kuah Chew Shian. Presenting flavourful dishes prepared with ingredients that have been sustainably sourced, or that fulfil the three Os (overstocked, over-ripened, and oddly shaped and sized), Tan seeks to provoke deeper thought about the food practices of today, highlighting, for instance, how a preference for prime cuts of meat and aesthetically pleasing produce contribute to food wastage. While the visuals are decidedly Western (Tan’s experience includes stints at Pollen, Jaan and Les Amis), the dishes themselves nod to both the region and her Teochew heritage. Think humble fish porridge elevated with Java ginseng and coriander tossed with preserved plum dressing. In line with the 16-seater restaurant’s ethos, the menu is carte blanche, with a six-course meal at an affordable $75++. Visit kausmo.com
LISA TANG,