MATTHEW LEONG, 27

Head chef at À L’aise in Norway, Oslo

Matthew is flying the Singapore flag high approximately 10,000km away. His gastronomy career took root at 13 years old, when he clinched a gold medal in a culinary competition. Armed with experience in the local kitchens of Tippling Club, Fisk and Open Farm Community, he left for Norway and became the chef de partie at two-michelin-starred Norwegian restaurant Renaa for a year. He then moved to À L’aise, a Michelin Plate restaurant in Oslo, where he became head chef within two and a half years.

Now, he is the youngest candidate to represent Singapore at this September’s Bocuse d’or 2021, a biennial world chef championship happening in Lyon, France, where he will compete with 23 other culinary giants across the globe. “For all these years Singapore has competed in Bocuse d’or, the highest achievement our country has ever got was a Bronze in 1989. I want to make history and be the first youngest Singaporean chef to win gold at this prestigious culinary competition. I’d like to take this opportunity to put Singapore on the global culinary stage.”

Matthew, whose style of cooking is characterised by Asian flavours with Nordic influences, has big dreams of owning a fine-dining restaurant listed in the Michelin guide. “My goal is to earn my first Michelin star within a year of opening and be the youngest chef to own a three-starred Michelin restaurant before the age of 31.”

He also envisions owning his own chain of bistros around the world. “Although I am based here in Norway, as a Singaporean, it would be great to open my restaurant in my homeland, before expanding my footprint across the region.”