Food is ‘an expression of love’, says Johanne Siy, Asia’s best female chef of 2023. Ahead of Hong Kong collaboration, she talks about ‘the perfect avocado’
- Filipino chef Johanne Siy, of Lolla in Singapore, will be in Hong Kong for a collaboration dinner with Mono’s Ricardo Chaneton on February 7 and 8
- She talks about how her marketing job led her to food, her novel presentations of avocado, and which Michelin-star restaurant most influenced her style
Johanne Siy, named Asia’s Best Female Chef 2023 by Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants, has come a long way since her marketing days – but her culinary journey and her affinity for food started long before her corporate career.
“I grew up about five minutes from the beach, so where I’m from is a seafood town. It is very close to my heart,” she recalls.
“We have to cross a bridge to get to the beach and, on that bridge, there will be a lot of fisher folks selling oysters by the bushel. The moment you approach that bridge, you can smell the brininess of the sea, and that aroma stuck with me.”
“Johanne and I have known each other for years and, after a five-day culinary retreat at Shishi-Iwa House in Karuizawa, Japan, last October, where we visited local farmers and food producers and collaborated on a one-off menu, we decided we needed to do a collaboration and cook together once more,” says Chaneton.