FEEDING THE MULTITUDES
Singapore’s first smart fish farm has multiple cylindrical tanks and is covered in solar panels.
says their farming balances “the modern with the old-fashioned”: with hydroponics and LED lighting for fragile flowers and herbs in
De Kas’ greenhouse in Amsterdam, and farming that requires soil and space for vegetables such as beetroot, celeriac, and potatoes at their farm about 20km away in Beemster. De Kas also sources from farmers in the Beemster region, who grow leeks, beans and plums in the summer – “we know the farms well and the quality is super good”, says Timmer.
“Over the last 20 years, our search for the best products has become more intense than ever,” he says. “Most important for us is that our ingredients are organic, and that they reach your plate as fast as possible. We believe this means our food tastes better and has more nutrition.”
While not a vegetarian restaurant, De Kas has always appealed to diners interested in plant-based cooking. Now that the approach has become much more mainstream, the restaurant is attracting a new set of patrons.
“We have customers now that we wouldn’t have seen a few years ago. People are realising that we can’t eat the amount of meat we used to. Even diners who used to regularly eat at steakhouses are opting for vegetarian meals every now and then,” he says.
TRANSFORMING A COMMUNITY
Changing public perceptions about food and how it is produced is part of the mission at Singapore’s Open Farm Community. The urban farming group recently opened Noka, a Japanese restaurant, and just bought land adjacent to its restaurant on Minden Road to create a full-production farm.
Chef Oliver Truesdale-Jutras says the benefits of urban farming are myriad. “Being self-sufficient means you don’t have to rely on other farms for produce. You have better control over what you put in your soil and how you treat your vegetables and fruits, and you can minimise waste as you use only what you need,” he explains. “It’s also a good way to promote community bonding and teach people to appreciate food better by giving them a clearer understanding of how it is grown and sourced, and how the food system works. Lastly, urban farms can make a space appear a whole lot greener.”
Until the new farm comes to fruition, Truesdale-Jutras relies on the existing organic garden, where they practise composting, permaculture, insect farming and companion planting, and source ingredients from South-east Asian farms.
Being strict with ingredient sourcing can be limiting, but Truesdale-Jutras says he sees it as stimulating. “When one is faced with restrictions – whether due to ethical or geographic reasons – it forces a chef to be more creative,” he says.
From plants grown in his garden, he serves papayakraut made from white papaya, which he ferments for three months, resulting in a dish reminiscent of sauerkraut. From torch ginger, he makes ceviche with lemongrass, kaffir lime, chillies and garlic, and from roselle, a type of hibiscus, he creates jam that is served with his local Peking duck rillette.
A PERSONAL COMMITMENT
Urban farming is taking off in Thailand, too. Chef Deepanker Khosla, who co-owns Haoma, probably Bangkok’s most sustainable
restaurant, grows 17 different herbs and vegetables, including kale,
Indian borage, basil and mint, inside the restaurant on vertical stacks of growing beds among dining tables. More impressively, Khosla farms his own fish on-site. He now has about a thousand tilapia in koi ponds that run the length of the restaurant in an aquaponic system in which fish waste becomes plant fertiliser.
Khosla, who taught himself urban farming mostly through YouTube videos and books, only employs kitchen staff prepared to farm as well as cook. “Everyone at Haoma must turn the soil with their hands every week and work with the fish. I want them all to be one with nature and embrace their roots,” he says.
More than half of the space in the restaurant is used for farming, reducing the amount of tables he can fit in for paying diners. But this is a price he is willing to pay. “The sacrifice of business I make is my contribution to saving the planet. Our biggest issue is that we always look to find the person who will save the Earth. But I think that person is within us.”