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Why the former head chef of The Fat Duck Oli Williamson chose Singapore for his internship

Roux Scholar Oli Williamson felt it was the perfect place to immerse himself in new culinary experiences.

For British chefs, winning the prestigious annual Roux Scholarship is a high mark of honour. It gives the winning chef the opportunity to hone his or her skills under world-renowned masters in just about any restaurant of their choosing. Oli Williamson, who took the scholarship in 2021, chose Zen in Singapore, highlighting Singapore’s respected standing in the global gastronomy scene.

When he signed up for the competition, Williamson was sous chef at Heston Blumenthal’s feted The Fat Duck. He was later promoted to head chef, an undeniably successful position in the industry. But like all good achievers, Williamson felt he still had lots to learn.

What drew him to Singapore is the "incredible melting pot of many types of cuisines from the Asian continent." He added: "The diversity of regional cooking styles as well as echelons from hawker to high-end Michelin mean that I am really able to immerse myself in many food styles."And that he did. After the pandemic delayed his internship by almost two years, Williamson arrived in Singapore three months ago and dove deep into the intricacies of cooking and running the three-Michelin-starred Zen. He absorbed a wealth of knowledge about fermentations such as koji and garums from the restaurant’s head chef, Toraik Chua; and was exposed to parsing Japanese-inspired cooking techniques like yubiki (scalding fish skin to yield better flavour and texture) and aburi (light torching) to modern European-style cuisine.

His stint also highlighted the importance of a collective culinary journey as he participated in the restaurant’s weekly knowledge-sharing sessions among front and back of house staff. “At Zen, the chefs run all the food and the front-of-house knows all the wines,” he said, explaining the restaurant’s unique style where chefs serve dishes to guests, often finishing them tableside, and where servers are as well-versed in the drinks menu as a sommelier would be. “That’s something I would like to incorporate into my future projects,” said Williamson. Without doubt, taking the dive from a head chef position to a stagiaire one called for adaptability. But for Williamson, who left his job at The Fat Duck to embark on the two-month internship, it was part of gaining new experiences and becoming a more rounded chef.

Now back in the United Kingdom, Williamson hopes to relocate to Bordeaux with his wife in the near future and eventually open his own restaurant. “When I do, I definitely want to take the element of team-building and sharing of knowledge, and the intricate layering of flavours that I’ve learnt here at Zen,” he said. If nothing else, the stint has given him a new understanding of Asian ingredients and a habit of punctuating his sentences with “lah”.

Williamson’s journey underscores Singapore’s vibrant dining landscape that has become a draw for high-calibre chefs from around the world. It is a testament to our growing reputation as a gastronomic hub, where food culture extends from time-honoured hawker stalls to the pinnacle of the international restaurant scene.

Source: CNA/bt
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