Uncovering local gems

AT A GLANCE

Singapore does not usually come up in conversations about countries that champion food sustainability. It’s not without good reason; according to 2018 statistics from the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority of Singapore, we imported 90 percent of all our food. As less than one percent of our landmass is arable land, it’s a long road ahead to achieve an islandwide farm-to-table movement.

That didn’t deter Pamelia Chia. A food scientist by trade, Chia made her first foray into professional cooking when she joined Candlenut, the first Michelin-starred Peranakan restaurant in the world, in 2016. Now based in Melbourne with Wex Woo, her agricultural scientist husband, Chia’s passion and knowledge for regionally sourced fruits and vegetables has culminated in her first cookbook.

Wet Market to Table is a deep dive into the shrinking, and often, unexplored world of Singapore’s wet markets, with stories of market vendors interspersed among her recipes. Chia has separated