Recently launched cooking studio Food Playground (www.foodplayground.co) is looking to serve up cultural cooking tours and classes to leisure and business travellers who arrive in the city-state.
Led by managing director Daniel Tan, formerly from The Ascott Group and Pan Pacific Hotels Group, and another business partner, Food Playground’s three-hour Cultural Cooking Class will begin with a half-hour visit to a local wet market, where participants will be introduced to local spices, tropical fruits and the locals’ way of life, followed by 90 minutes of cooking instructions on two popular local dishes, and an hour of dining and interaction. It is priced at S$99 (US$80.50) per person.
Speaking to TTG Asia from his cooking studio in an old-generation shophouse in Tanjong Pagar, which sits within the central business district and straddles a residential estate, Tan said: “The walk from here to the nearby wet market will take participants past old and new generation public housing, allowing us to tell stories of Singapore’s evolution. We have done a few tours for tourists, and they seem very fascinated by the success of our public housing and the buzz in the market.”
Market tours and classes are led by retirees and stay-home moms, “a perfect arrangement” according to Tan, who said these individuals “cook day in, day out, and have so many personal stories to tell”.
“Hiring retirees to lead our classes also allows us to support the government’s call to create job opportunities for senior citizens who still want to be part of the society,” he added.
“To ensure stable employment for our instructors, we will not cancel classes, and I have given travel (consultants) my word that we will proceed as long as there are two participants. This is also helpful for travel (consultants), who have had difficulties including cooking classes as part of a tour programme because cooking schools here require a minimum headcount of 10 people.”
Tan has started hosting groups of inbound operators for the Cultural Cooking Class, and “feedback has been very good”, he said. Programmes offered are commissionable, but the rate has yet to be firmed up.
He believes that the programme will appeal to European and American tourists, and will pay particular attention to inbound travel firms that specialise in these markets.
He is also keen to offer his programmes to long-stay guests of serviced apartments.
“I’ve also had several enquiries from companies wanting to do teambuilding at Food Playground. We can tailor the programme for private groups, such as featuring specific dishes or creating a cooking competition for teams.”
Food Playground has already had its first corporate group – a product launch and cook-out for some 20 international media representatives, hosted by a multinational home appliance manufacturer.
This article was first published in TTG Asia, October 19, 2012 on page 6. To read more, please view our digital edition or click here to subscribe.
