Chef Wendy Kuek from The Summerhouse champions the cause of sustainable food practices

Welcome to the fourth edition of Backyard Production’s Taste and Dine series. In this series, we collaborate with the reputed Chefs from popular restaurants in Singapore to bring their valuable insight on using Singapore’s very own fresh and local produce for creating scrumptious dishes. 

Today we are in talks with Chef Wendy Kuek from The Summerhouse about the importance of sourcing local and fresh produce and the value it adds to not only creating flavourful recipes but also makes us self-sustainable as a nation. With almost a decade of experience, Chef Wendy Kuek helms the kitchen at Summerhouse under 1-Group. The Summerhouse originated with the concept of being a farm-to-table restaurant that works closely with farmers to bring the best and freshest local produce to the table. Much like Backyard Productions, they believe in the ideology of sustainable food practices and use a plethora of fresh produce, herbs and garnishes to provide unrivalled freshness and authenticity to their dishes.

How did you first find out about local produce?

It is through Summerhouse I first realised that the local farms and producers supply to even small restaurants like ours. Until four years back, I was under the impression that local producers only supplied to supermarkets or directly to customers who visit their farms. Easy access to local produce is a game changer for restaurants that not only helps us to put delectable dishes on the table but also make food healthier and more nutritious. Knowing the source of food also assures us of the quality, consistency and sustainability. 

Why did you decide to choose local produce?

At Summerhouse, we have always been the advocate for sustainable food practices. Choosing local produce is therefore an obvious decision for us in order to promote more and more local farms and become more self-sustainable as a nation. Through this conscious choice we want to support the mighty cause of reducing carbon footprint by encouraging lesser imports. Besides our idealism, it is a delight to demonstrate the world how fresh and local produce enhances flavour even while keeping the food healthier. 

What other local products would you consider using in the future? Why are you considering these products? How do you intend to use them?

Mother nature has bestowed us with a bountiful range of food choices and ingredients that can now be sourced easily. As a restaurant, we are constantly using a wide range of these ingredients, reviewing more new products and incorporating these new ingredients whenever we have an upcoming special menu. We are open to explore a wide assortment of local produce in our research and development efforts. 

What is your word of advice for other chefs in using local produce?

Let our clan grow in making food more nutritious, healthier and tastier and save our planet from greenhouse emissions and the rising carbon footprint.

What are your thoughts on Backyard Productions’ drive to champion local farms?

It is indeed a commendable effort. Many of these farms produce on a small scale. It’s not easy for them to reach out to a large variety or different group of people. Backyard Production connects them with a wider customer group helping them become more profitable and boosting the local produce market of Singapore. 

About Taste & Dine

Taste & Dine is a series of dining events brought to you by Backyard Productions in collaboration with the best restaurants in Singapore to highlight our homegrown produce.

By working together with chefs to create a menu that uses locally grown and farmed produce, Backyard Productions aims to bring our homegrown gems to the forefront of the industry, making it accessible for all.

Enjoy dishes created by Chef Wendy that are filled with local produce at The Summerhouse from 12 August to 11 September 2022. 

In conjunction with their 1-group WINELUST event, savour a delightful 4-course dinner menu at $88++ and add an additional $40++ for wine pairings.