Sowmiya Venkatesan is the founder of Kechil Kitchen , a Singapore enterprise focussed on making #meatless , #plantbased options interesting with the intent to celebrate, bring back natural, sustainable and locally grown ingredients to the table.
A chef by default, storyteller by design, she is always looking to make a difference in the way people "think, eat and make food".
Self-taught, she loves to play with flavour, texture combinations and uses spices to give dishes a depth of character. Her approach is out-of-box with ingredients paired to the traditional and plated to serve an experience.
She curates menus based on food stories of origins, flavours, ingredients, processes that have a narration beyond just the meal.
Her philosophy on food is simple. It should be fun, tasty and balanced. Balance is key. A good plate should offer a balance in texture, flavour and colour. A feast for the senses that is a food journey where she intends to transport you culinarily and take you through a food story that has meaning beyond just the plated dish.
Marrying a foodie changed her life and relationship with food. Her husband is a "huge" influence on me. Nicknamed Sumo, a triathlete now, his appetite for an adventure on a plate is what binds us a couple. It is a simple arrangement - she cooks, he eats. Her son is a connoisseur. A teenager, proud to be taller than her, plays a significant role in ensuring she cooks visually appealing and nutritious meals.
She practises Sahaja Yoga, a scientifically proven method of meditation created by HH Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi in 1970 that is based on awakening the kundalini to achieve your self-realisation. It is a way of life where you strive to achieve a balanced living with your spiritual evolution and understanding of the science.
As a MasterChef Singapore finalist (Finished 6th), she would like to influence the food scene in Singapore and beyond. Singapore as a society that is fast becoming a conscious nation. A nation at the cusp of a change. With Smaller movements to #Zerowaste, create a #sustainablefuture, by #30by30 that is #betterfortheplanet. The RedDot is showing an #appetitetochange.
Many restaurants are opening up to the notion of offering truly-inspiring dishes that are plant-based, meat-less. Consumers, diners and home cooks are also opening up to being adventurous and environment-friendly in their choice of food and diets. She wants to ride the wave and play a role in it to create a balanced food system.
She does not believe in propagating any specific diet as people should eat what is good for their bodies but definitely want to play a part in creating a balanced food system where there are interesting options available for people who want or feel the need to eat meatlessly.
Collaborates with restaurants, organisations in Singapore and narrate food stories using my menus organised as a pop-up event. In the menus, she tries to champion locally grown, sustainable and biodiverse ingredients.
Design menus, offer consulting and train chefs across Singapore restaurants that champion cuisines of India. Conceptualise and execute a modern Indian menu based on the brand identity and target diner segment.
Judge for a TV Cooking Show on Vasantham, Un Samayal Araiyil, a programme showcasing cooking talent across Singapore she was catalyst in inspiring home cooks elevate traditional dishes from cusines across South East Asia.
She works with many food companies in Singapore to help define the culinary uses and develop recipes. She also works closely with their food scientist to improve nutrition/ taste/ flavour of their plant based products. With her background in Marketing she is able to curate menus that consumer-relevant and aligned to Kechil Kitchen's philosophy.
She is a people person and would love to meet you in one of her food journeys. Keep track of all things upcoming on her social media handles, listed below.
Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/sowmiya.venkatesan.sg/
https://www.instagram.com/kechil.kitchen/
Facebook:
https://m.facebook.com/whatsdoneisplated/
https://www.facebook.com/kechil.kitchen/
LinkedIn:
https://sg.linkedin.com/in/sowmiya-venkatesan
Thank you for your interest!