The food: Kayambe H2O
Where to find it: 2am: Dessertbar, Singapore, Singapore
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Welcome to another edition of #FoodEntrepreneur Friday, where I serve up an order of international food with a side of guidance for entrepreneurs.
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In Singapore, executive pastry chef Janice Wong architects the future of desserts. A salted caramel core nestles itself in the above pictured chocolate volcano. Oreo-like bits crumble down the sides giving the volcano its proper crunch. Slowly oozing at the bottom is a locally sourced yuzu ice cream scoop that gives the dessert a zing and tart flavor. In this dish you have hot-cold, tough-soft, creamy-crunchy. With so many polar opposite energies rumbling in this volcano, I’m surprised it doesn’t explode in front of me.
You know you’re in the presence of future food when innovative food like 2am:dessertbar’s ‘Kayambe H20’ provides a culinary experience on the edge of reality, while still remaining simply delicious.
Fredrick J. Simoons, author of the classic text on culinary taboos Eat Not This Flesh, says timing is everything. When Emperor Meiji ate beef—forbidden in Buddhist Japan—it symbolized a country ready to embrace the west. Likewise, after the USDA’s food pyramid stressed the inclusion of fish in a healthy diet, raw fish handled by bare hands grew popular in the form of sushi.
To think prisoners in 18th century Boston once rioted after being forced to eat lobster, considered the scavenging “rats of the sea” at the time. Now lobster has created a multi-million dollar industry.
A western foodie culture pushes the culinary boundaries with foie gras ice cream and hot dog sushi. In contemporary western culture, people now confront a profound evolutionary question: Is that food?
Could a future with edible insects really be farfetched? Could pizza 3D-printed in your kitchen replace a Domino’s delivery?
These could become earth-changing food industries with new food startup ventures.
Only time (and a hungry, choosy) consumer market will tell.
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Of course, as we trek forward into the future of our food, let’s not forget our roots. Watch the video “Hands in the Orchestra” about three immigrant food entrepreneurs in the Bay Area. The TASTE team feels honored that Real Food Media named it a “Top 10 Food Video”. It’s up for a ‘people’s choice award’ too, so vote if you love great international food.
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