Kuala Lumpur – KITA Food Festival will make its highly-anticipated return from September 4th to 8th, bringing together some of the biggest names in the culinary scene from across the region.This annual celebration of Southeast Asia’s growing culinary culture will see the finest chefs and industry pioneers from across the region gather for a series of Four Hand Dinners and Kitchen Takeovers, culminating in a Big Sunday Barbecue and F&B industry thought leadership events.
One of the key highlights of this year is A Food Affair, debuting on September 7 at The Toffee on Jalan Raja Chulan. An evolution of its Kita Conversations symposium on innovation and authority in food, this full-day event will feature keynote speakers and fireside talks by regional food experts, interactive food and wine masterclasses, as well as a vibrant marketplace with artisan products from around Malaysia.
Keynote speakers
- Su Kim Hock, chef-proprietor of one-Michelin Star restaurant, Au Jardin (Penang),who will address the topic of staff shortages in his talk: Where Have All the Sous Chefs Gone? Navigating the Restaurant Labor Crunch.
- Ben Devlin of Pipit (NSW, Australia) will be showcasing how to make use of every part of a squid.
- Vanika Choudhary of Noon (Mumbai, India) will be sharing her knowledge on ancient Indian fermentation techniques.
- Dr David Neo, a lecturer in Cultural and Film Studies at Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM), who is also the Programme Leader of Intangible Cultural Heritage with UNESCO who has contributed academically to Peranakan culture(s) that have significantly shaped him. He will be discussing the Chitty Peranakan Food Culture
- Talks by Michelin-starred chefs Jimmy Ophorst and Ivan Brehm.
Masterclasses
- Pete Smit from Dirty Supper (Singapore) will be running a masterclass on Nose to Tail: How to butcher a whole goat, making the most of every part of an animal and every cut.
- Wong Yin How, who is the founding secretary of the Sommelier Association of Malaysia (Somlay) and the first Asian recipient of the AXA Millésimes Scholarship – which offers scholars hands-on experience at vineyards in Bordeaux, Burgundy, Languedoc, Douro and Tokaji – will be hosting a masterclass on French wine and cheeses. Wong is also an established restaurateur best known for his restaurants, Vintry and Proof.
Marketplace
Prin Polsuk of Samrub Samrub Thai (Bangkok, Thailand) will be cooking up bite- sized dishes featuring Samrub Samrub Thai’s signature pastes on MKN equipment, showcasing the intense flavours of his native cuisine.
In addition, there will be multiple artisanal producers, plus food and drinks to both buy and sample.
The full lineup of Four-Hands Dinners and Kitchen Takeovers:
Tickets for the events in Kuala Lumpur is available here
September 4 & 5
- Jimmy Ophorst of PRU (Phuket, Thailand), Phuket’s first and only restaurant to have a Michelin star that it has retained since 2018, will be doing a four-hands dinner alongside Masashi Horiuchi at Potager. Touted as the “inspiring voice of change”, Ophorst continues to lead the farm-to-table movement in Thailand through PRU, and was recognised for his efforts when the restaurant was awarded the first and only Michelin Green Star in Thailand.
September 5 & 6
- Ben Devlin of Pipit in Pottsville (New South Wales, Australia), recognised as a Regional Restaurant of the Year finalist in Sydney Morning Herald’s Good Food Guide 2023, will run a Kitchen Takeover at Yellow Fin Horse, Else Kuala Lumpur, featuring native Australian bush foods like bunya nuts, lemon myrtle, Dorrigo pepper and dried pipis cooked with Malaysian-grown produce. The menu will be plant-forward and meat-free, with seafood used in the garums and preserves.
An optional whisky pairing for the menu on September 5 will be available featuring Royal Brackla core range to complement the meal.
- Johnson Ebenezer of Farmlore (Bangalore, India), which was recognised as Best Earth-Friendly Restaurant at the NDTV Food Awards 2024 and 2023’s Best Restaurant in South India by the ET Hospitality Awards, will be doing a four-hands dinner alongside Shaun Ng of HIDE. The menu has been designed to take guests on a culinary journey of provenance around Malaysia with each course spotlighting a high-quality ingredient from ethical producers around the nation.
September 6
- Prin Polsuk of one-Michelin star restaurant and #29 on Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants 2024, Samrub Samrub Thai (Bangkok, Thailand) will be bringing Southern Thai Fisherman cuisine to Raw, Else Kuala Lumpur, promising a casual dinner that reflects the food security, diversity, and community-driven cuisine of the Island natives of the Southern Thai gulf.
For those wanting to add a kick to their meal can opt for the Royal Brackla whisky pairing option.
September 6 & 7
- Hans Christian of August (Jakarta, Indonesia), #46 on Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants, returns to Kita Food Festival to spotlight the emerging trend of New Nusantara cuisine at Akar Dining alongside Aidan Low.
- Louis Tikaram – 2014’s “Josephine Pignolet Young Chef of the Year” as awarded by the Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide who is known for his innovative fusion of Fijian, Chinese and global culinary influences – of Stanley (Brisbane, Australia) will be bringing his take on Modern Chinese comfort food to Fifty Tales.
Guests will have the option to add on a Royal Brackla whisky pairing to complement their meal, only available on 7 September.
September 7
- Christophe Lerouy, Chef Patron of one-Michelin Star Lerouy (Singapore), will cook alongside Masashi Horiuchi at Entier.
Big Sunday Barbecue
As part of the Kita Food Festival tradition, the Big Sunday Barbecue will wrap up the KL Weekender on September 8, with exciting tag teams behind the grill:
- Pete Smit of Dirty Supper (Singapore) will be teaming up with Ignis (Kuala Lumpur)
- Su Kim Hock of one-Michelin star Au Jardin (Penang) will team up with two-Michelin Star Dewakan (Kuala Lumpur)
- Vanika Choudhary of Noon (India) will partner with Nadodi (Kuala Lumpur)
- Home cook internet sensation Anis Nabilah (Kuala Lumpur) will be cooking alongside SAJ Bistronomy by Leen’s (Kuala Lumpur)
KITA Horizons
KITA has also brought back its young chef mentoring programme, Kita Horizons, for its third year, this time on a larger scale, in partnership with Danish dairy company, Arla Foods.
The KITA Horizons program is steadfast in its mission to foster the next generation of ‘proudly Malaysian’ chefs. This initiative not only aims to elevate culinary talent but also to cultivate a profound appreciation for the vital contributions of producers and manufacturers within the food industry.
“KITA Horizons serves as a beacon of transformation within our industry. It bridges the gap between emerging chefs and their culinary heritage, nurturing a greater understanding of food sourcing and cultivation.” says Darren Teoh, co-founder and director of the Kita Food Festival.
In its third iteration and largest to date, KITA Horizons has grown significantly, collaborating with Arla Foods, a Danish dairy company, to enhance the experience for participants. Fifteen aspiring chefs from restaurants and hotels in Kuala Lumpur, Penang and Kota Kinabalu – Potager, Ignis, Eat and Cook, ThirdMile Rivercity, Grand Hyatt KL, LI Damansara, Marini’s On 57, Three Plates Full, Pouf Bake, Malaysia Airlines, Terra, Carbon, Jwala, Neighbourwood (Penang),Oitom (Kota Kinabalu) were given unprecedented access to various industry facets, which are often beyond reach for many.
View this post on Instagram
In May, these chefs engaged in a day-long series of interactive masterclasses led by their mentors: Jack Weldie of Chipta 11A, Lim Heng Kit of LI Restaurant and LOCUS, and Yavhin Siriwardhana of Nadodi at Kitchen Inc’s studio at Port Commune. Each chef mentor demonstrated a dish that reflects their cooking philosophy, and participants were encouraged to ask questions and participate in the process.
They also had the privilege of attending a presentation by Chef Grzegorz Odolak, Executive Chef at Grand Hyatt Kuala Lumpur, and touring the hotel’s kitchens and the city’s largest in-house hydroponic farms, in partnership with Cultiveat.
The next day, the chefs embarked on an educational journey to the Natural Tropical Farm, Chocolate Concierge, and A Little Farm On The Hill, where they learned about different farming techniques. Equipped with this new knowledge, they will be preparing for a series of dining events that will challenge them and the program will culminate on September 8 at an exclusive Thank You Dinner, where the chefs will showcase their culinary prowess by preparing meals using grade two vegetables and secondary cuts of meat, highlighting the value of often-overlooked ingredients.
About
Kita Food Festival returns this year for its fourth installment in Kuala Lumpur this year, followed by Singapore from January to March 2025. Driven by its passion for the industry and dedication to innovation, Kita Food Festival continues to lead the charge towards a more connected and sustainable future for food and beverage in Southeast Asia through education and cultivating appreciation.
