Interview: Cynthia Chua and Ryan Clift

Tell us about this project. What got it started? 

C: I was introduced to the Edible Gardens team almost three years ago, because we met a chef who wanted to cook farm-to-table cuisine. We showed him some units, but he felt he couldn't grow his own produce there, so we had to drop the project. We did visit organic farms and met farmers, and as I started understanding vertical farming, my interest got deeper. That was how I met the Edible Gardens team, and I was really stoked because they were not old-generation farmers, or people who couldn't find jobs. They chose to be farmers – they were working in advertising and got sick of it. The food movement has gone from elevating chefs, to showing open kitchens and serving chefs tables. People want to understand their relationship with food, so that's how the whole project started. It took us three years, though. 

Ryan, what's your motivation for the project? 

R: Being a chef in Singapore means every ingredient is indented. So, you're importing these beautiful herbs and flowers from places like France and Japan, but when they arrive, much of it is dead. They don't work well in transport, but the problem is, you still have to pay for it, unlike in Europe, where the farmer sends you some vegetables, you pick the perfect ones and send the rest back. It's always been a frustration of mine that the produce that gets here is not at its optimum or fresh enough. So that's why at the old Tippling Club, we used to forage a lot for native stuff we knew we could use. When Cynthia introduced me to the guys, Bjorn Low and Rob Pearce from Edible Gardens and said they had a space at Wheelock Shopping Centre, I was like, 'Really? We can have our own garden?'

C: He was so sceptical and he rolled his eyes at me!

R: When this space for Open Farm Community came up, she was the brains that said, 'Let's do it.' It's exciting to have the opportunity to do this. It's a three way street: I'm saying (getting?) what I want to be grown, Cynthia is the passion behind the project driving it, and the guys from Edible Gardens acknowledge that this could be a reality, so I think it's a really good collaboration between everyone. 

C: I think why farm-to-table hasn't worked well is because chefs try to be farmers. Farming is a full-time job, and to understand the difficulties and practicality of farming, you really need an expert. That was the saving grace for us, finding people who are passionate. 

So now that the garden's growing, what's next? 

R: The project is going to evolve and get more interesting. It has also led me to starting finding local produce for other things. Last month, I found guys who are producing New Zealand blue lip mussels, freshwater crayfish and yabbies in Singapore waters. All our seafood on the menu will only be produced in Singapore, period. 

No way!

C: How you just said 'No way' is how a lot of local chefs react, so I think this has been a good initiative as we've made the effort to source local. 

So is this the start of something new? 

R: It is a start of a mini-revolution. I just found a company in Singapore producing amazing tomatoes. Of course, another restaurant is going to find out that I'm getting my tomatoes from Uncle Bob in Kranji, but it's good, because now he'll grow more tomatoes, get more money and more people will use local products. I've never dreamt I'll see this in Singapore. It's been a frustration for me. We've got so much land and space, so many farms in Kranji, but where does all that stuff go? 

C: No one talks about it because there's no movement to push it along. There's no hype about it – if there's hype and buzz, it'll move along fast. 

R: The more people use local, the more effort the producers will put in to make their food better, so this is the start of something new and exciting. 

Do you think it'll be hard to sell grown-in-Singapore greens to locals?

C: I think consumers can accept it if it tastes good. It's always about taste. 

R: Singaporeans have a very discerning palate. I think the level of dining in this country has gone through the roof over the last few years. Since we've opened, people from all walks of life have been blown away that this is happening. The quality of the flavour speaks for itself, as does the punchiness of everything you're eating. I think everyone will get on board with it, because they see the lad's picking it, and they realise we're growing it ourselves. They can feel good about eating it, and we really hope everyone gets behind it so we can start doing community projects and farmers' markets. 

Head to Open Farm Community for some grown-in-Singapore herbs.