The man and the machine
Two Michelin-starred chef Emmanuel Stroobant’s goal as a V-ZUG ambassador is to influence more people to rediscover the joy and spirit of cooking at home. Here, he shares his favourite appliance from the luxury Swiss brand
Aleading Swiss brand for household appliances with more than 110 years of product innovation, V-ZUG’s consumer products perform so well on a professional level that it’s not uncommon to find them in the kitchens of some of the best chefs in the world, such as Singapore’s Michelin-starred Emmanuel Stroobant. The Belgian chef-owner of Saint Pierre and Shoukouwa — both two Michelin-starred — joins V-ZUG’s growing collective of high-profile chef ambassadors like Andreas Caminada in Switzerland, Jan Hartwig in Germany and Vicky Lau in Hong Kong.
As the new face of V-ZUG Singapore, Stroobant’s three decades of experience and contributions in the culinary field are in harmony with the brand’s values of excellence, quality and innovation. In his capacity for the brand, he will lead masterclasses at V-ZUG’s new showroom at Ion Orchard, develop recipes and front key events in Singapore for the Swiss luxury household appliance purveyor.
“Cooking is my absolute passion, and great appliances enable creativity in the kitchen. More than creating a delightful alchemy of flavours, cooking has the transmutative power to elevate our well-being and nourish our bodies. I’m delighted to be the Singapore ambassador of V-ZUG and look forward to demonstrating the inventive features of their high-quality appliances to discerning customers,” he expresses.
Echoing V-ZUG’s philosophy of precision-meets-presentation, Saint Pierre’s Asian-accented modern French cuisine attains a pitch-perfect harmony of flavours, textures and colours. This enviable sweet spot is achieved through years of training, a stage which the meditation and Zen Circle devotee believes is possible when the mind is freed up for the body to create.
An advocate of child nutrition, Stroobant is a big believer in cooking as a life skill to empower the young to navigate their health journey. He runs Star-Chef Academy, a cooking campus for children aged six to 16, and Mycelium Catering, an institutional catering arm providing fresh and tasty school meals.
In an interview with Options, the highly-decorated chef talks about his ambassadorship and shares his favourite V-ZUG appliances.
What does your ambassadorship with V-ZUG mean to you?
I’m thrilled with this prestigious partnership and all the exciting possibilities that lie ahead. V-ZUG is a luxury heritage brand that stands for the values of quality and innovation I believe in. I love the brand’s approach towards innovation, sustainability, design and lifestyle, and this partnership is a natural fit for me.
You join a very elite group of chef ambassadors. Are you familiar with any of them?
I’m proud to join the V-ZUG family as a brand ambassador alongside other worldwide chefs I respect, such as Andreas Caminada, Jan Hartwig, Davy Tissot and Sergio Herman.
Chef Davy Tissot and winner of Bocuse d’Dor 2021, is a good friend. We have known each other for 15 years and have cooked together in New York and London. Coincidentally, he was in Singapore during the announcement of my ambassadorship and came to meet me at V-ZUG’s showroom in Ion Orchard to show his support.
What are you most looking forward to in this role?
One of my goals as a chef is to influence more people to rediscover the joy and spirit of cooking at home. As V-ZUG’s Singapore brand ambassador, I can do that through the masterclasses and recipes I plan to conduct and develop. I will also be representing V-ZUG at a few of their private events, and hopefully, there will be opportunities to collaborate with other chef ambassadors from different countries to create some culinary sparks.
V-ZUG’s appliances have many well-thought-out features that inspire home cooks to get creative in their kitchens. I feel like a kid inside a candy store at the V-ZUG showroom and having fun testing the appliances at home. I can’t wait to share them with their customers.
Have you used V-ZUG appliances before becoming a brand ambassador?
V-ZUG is a well-respected Swiss brand known for its innovation and exceptional quality appliances. However, before my ambassadorship, I didn’t know much about their appliances’ specific features. Since becoming their brand ambassador, I have had more opportunities to do so, and it has been a great experience experimenting with recipes using their appliances. On the design front, V-ZUG’s design philosophy resonates with me. I love how their appliances are modern, minimalistic and sleek.
Is there one V-ZUG appliance that changed your life?
The 90cm CombiSteamer V6000 should be on your shopping list if you frequently entertain at home. It has a deeper space to fit a full-sized tray, which is ideal for preparing communal-style dishes for parties and gatherings. Combining controlled steam, smart technology, and precise temperature control enables home chefs to achieve the desired professional results. If you want a professional oven for home use, this is it.
If I can choose another one, it will be the RefreshButler.
It’s life-changing in that it can neutralise odours, eliminate 99.99% of germs and bacteria and dry damp clothes, shoes and delicate fabrics without spending on dry cleaning. Fabrics are refreshed wrinkle-free within a closed-air circuit through photocatalysis technology, light, and steam. It’s perfect for home use and also great for my front and back-of-house teams, who can remove cooking smells and odours from their uniforms.
Do you also use V-ZUG products at Shoukouwa?
Shoukouwa just underwent a revamp, and there are now three Supreme V6000 wine chillers at the restaurant to store our premium selection of sake and wines. One of its brilliant features is the precise dual temperature which lets you store different kinds of liquor within the same fridge. The wine fridge can maintain a different temperature in each of its two compartments, making it easy to keep our special Nama Sake (unpasteurised sake) at a slightly lower temperature. Over and above, the triple-layer glass system shields off UV rays to ensure maximum humidity and vibration control. I also like the shelving system; it’s made of sustainable Swiss beech wood with flexible racks, making it a reliable combination of wood and metal that glides flawlessly on the runner.
V-ZUG aside, what are you currently working on with your restaurants?
Saint Pierre is an inclusive restaurant, and we have always catered to diners with special dietary restrictions. But we have noticed an increase in enquiries about vegetarian options. Hence, apart from our Opulence menu, we have just launched Elegance, a vegetarian degustation which can also be adapted to suit vegans.
With Master of Wine Tan Ying Hsien on board as Saint Pierre’s wine advisor, we have elevated our wine list and trained our front of our house team to provide better knowledge and service. We also want to strengthen our wine programme by collaborating with winemakers to host more wine dinners.
What’s your action plan for earning a third Michelin star?
There is no grand plan or strategy. It’s about striving for continuous improvement and consistency in our cuisine and service standards. It’s about exceeding dinner expectations and ensuring we are better today than yesterday. Fighting for the third star is the best mindset to maintain our two.